Comparison of Interplanetary CME Charge State Composition with CME-associated Flare Magnitude

Abstract

This paper describes a study of the charge state composition of interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) ejecta in the heliosphere within the context of remote-sensing CME observations at the Sun. First, CME-ICME pairs are examined to determine if a given CME is associated with a flare event. Then, for each ICME, the charge states, O⁺⁷/O⁺⁶ and Q_Fe, are averaged over the event and compared with the associated flare magnitude. We find that events originating between E30° and W45° solar longitude are more likely to contain significantly higher charge states. The charge states in these ``central events'' display a moderate correlation with flare magnitude, indicating that enhanced charge states in the solar wind are the result of flare-related heating in the corona.