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Originally Posted by sol88
Tim, to take a quote from your link
Then specificaly "the emissions of the multiply charged ions of O, C, Ne, Mg, and Si which are brought to comets by the solar wind" my bold.
So if they are "charged", does this imply the Solar "wind" is a stream of charged particles?
So now the charge exchange process is not dependent on volatiles "evolved" from the comet, but it's degree of "charge" differential compared to the solar "wind" in that particular point within the "wind"? Enough to "rip" electrons from the surface of the comet??
And just what does happen to the Ion's of O, C, Ne, Mg, and Si when they recapture the "free" electron??
Sol
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sure the are charged, when it says so right there, but there are ALSO electrons flowing in the solar wind, so the total flow is (quasi-)neutral (I know I am going to regret using quasi).
The electrons in the solar wind cannot recombine with the highly charged ions from the solar wind, (a thermodynamic problem). But the ions can hit molecules of gas ejected by the comet, and undergo a charge-exchange process. (see details above) They can also hit the comet, but then they are lost and will not emit X-rays, the do not snatch away electrons from the comet proper.
If the ions happen to grab a free electron various things can happen, amongst which probably also the emission of an X-ray photon. But this is a very unlikely process, otherwise the solar wind would be neutral atoms by the time it reaches the Earth.