Energetic Particle Abundances as Probes of an Interplanetary Shock Wave

Abstract

We examine the unique abundance variations of Fe/O and He/H in solar energetic particles from a W09 event of 2001 April 10 that have leaked through the flank of an interplanetary shock launched from W04 on April 9. Shock waves from both events reached the Wind spacecraft on April 11. During the second event, both Fe/O and He/H began at low values and rose to maxima near the time of passage of the shock waves, indicating greater scattering for the species with the highest rigidity at a given velocity. Strong modulation of Fe/O suggests preferential scattering and trapping of Fe by the wave spectrum near and behind the intermediate shock. A significant factor may be the residual proton-generated waves from the very hard proton spectrum accelerated by the early shock wave prior to the onset of the second event. Thus, ion abundances from the later event probe the residual wave spectrum at the earlier shock.