Abstract
Overview of the solar wind ion measurements which were carried out by the Japanese interplanetary spacecraft Suisei (PLANET-A) is presented. The instrumentation and results obtained from the initial two-month observations are described. (1) The experiment has been successful in resolving solar wind ions into H+, He++, and, sometimes, other minor constituents, such as O+6, Si+7, Si+8, and iron groups. These heavy ions, which are considered to contain information on the solar corona, have been identified clearly in the low-speed region. (2) The typical corotating structure is observed during two solar rotations near the sunspot minimum. (3) Velocity fluctuations which are interpreted to be Alfvenic fluctuations are observed in high speed streams. (4) It is also found that the flow vector of the solar wind is significantly deflected westwards in the region of increasing velocity, as a result of pressure gradient caused by stream interaction. (5) Anisotropic distributions of protons which may be related to the local magnetic field are also observed.
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