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Electron impact ionization in the vicinity of comets

Gombosi, T. I.; Cravens, T. E.; Kozyra, J. U. +2 more

The solar wind interacts very strongly with the extensive cometary coma, and the various interaction processes are initiated by the ionization of cometary neutrals. The main ionization mechanism far outside the cometary bow shock is photoionization by solar extreme ultraviolet radiation. Electron distributions measured in the vicinity of comets Ha…