Abstract
Solar wind protons impinging on interplanetary dust grains are trapped, deionized, and subsequently desorbed. The steady state distribution of desorbed neutral hydrogen inside of 0.4 AU can be deduced by observation of resonantly scattered solar 121.6 nm radiation. Calculated integral intensities and spectral profiles are given, showing the clear spectral separation of the different radiation components. Given a specific solar wind proton flux, the interplanetary dust distribution can be determined. Conversely, dust density profiles from zodiacal light measurements can be used to deduce solar wind proton fluxes at heliocentric distances of 0.4 to 0.15 AU. Observations of latitudinal and short-term temporal proton flux variations seem feasible.
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