Time Variability of the Geocoronal Solar Wind Charge Exchange in the Direction of the Celestial Equator
Abstract
We report the detection of a time variable OVII line emission in a deep 100 ks Suzaku X-ray Imaging Spectrometer spectrum of the Galactic Ridge X-ray emission. The observed line intensity is too strong (11+/-2 line unit or photon cm-2 s-1 str-1) to be emitted inside the heavily obscured Galactic disk. It showed a factor of two time variation which shows a significant (~4 sigma) correlation with the solar wind O7+ ion flux. The high line intensity and the good time correlation with the solar wind strongly suggests that it originated from geocoronal solar wind charge exchange emission. We discuss the X-ray line intensity considering a line of sight direction and also theoretical distribution models of the neutral hydrogen and solar wind around the Earth. Our results indicate that X-ray observationsof geocoronal solar wind charge exchange emission can be used to constrain these models.
Turn this paper into a lesson
ArcXiv compiles a structured reading guide from this paper's metadata: plain-English importance, contributions, prerequisite concepts, which sections to read first, flashcards, and a quiz. Grounded in the abstract, never invented.