Abstract
Using the Solar Isotope Spectrometer on the Advanced Composition Explorer, we have examined the ∼10–20 MeV/nucleon elemental and isotopic composition of heavy (Z⩾6) energetic nuclei accelerated in 30 small solar energetic particle (SEP) events which occurred between 31 March 1998 and 2 January 2001. We have measured the average heavy element content, the 22Ne/20Ne ratio, and the 26Mg/24Mg ratio in these events, and find good agreement with past studies. We have categorized the events according to their 3He/4He ratios, and find significant enhancements in the neutron-rich heavy isotopes of Ne and Mg in the combined 3He-rich data set: 22Ne/20Ne=0.17±0.05 and 26Mg/24Mg=0.25±0.05. We discuss the implications of these measurements for the acceleration of energetic nuclei in SEP events.
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