Abstract
The X-ray Solar Monitor (XSM) on the Indian lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 was flown to complement lunar elemental abundance studies by the X-ray fluorescence experiment C1XS. XSM measured the ≈ 1.8 - 20 keV solar X-ray spectrum during its nine months of operation in lunar orbit. The soft X-ray spectra can be used to estimate absolute coronal abundances using intensities of emission-line complexes and the plasma temperature derived from the continuum. The best estimates are obtained from the brightest flare observed by XSM: a C2.8-class flare. The well-known first-ionization potential (FIP) effect is observed; abundances are enhanced for the low-FIP elements Fe, Ca, and Si, while the intermediate-FIP element S shows values close to the photospheric abundance. The derived coronal abundances show a quasi-mass-dependent pattern of fractionation.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1585-1595 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Solar Physics |
Volume | 289 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 1 2014 |
Keywords
- Flares, spectrum
- X-ray