Effects of High Ion Temperatures on Spectral Line Diagnostics in the Source Region of the High‐Speed Solar Wind

Abstract

Theoretical work on solar wind acceleration has suggested that the proton and electron temperatures at the base of the solar coronal hole region are not thermally equilibrated but that instead the proton temperature may exceed the electron temperature significantly. Recently, Kohl, Strachan, & Gardner have measured both broad and narrow components of the H Lyα profile and have suggested that the broad component may be the signature of high proton temperatures, ~4-6 × 106 K or more. Since proton impact excitation can contribute to the emission line excitation processes, high proton temperatures have important implications for some spectral line emissivities that are useful for electron temperature and density determinations. The diagnostics most affected are those which are sensitive to the distribution of population within the fine structure of the ground state configuration. We discuss selected case studies. For modest proton temperatures (Tp = 3Te) we have found effects on temperature diagnostics to be less than 30% but effects on some density diagnostics may be as large as 1 order of magnitude.