THE HELIUM ABUNDANCE IN POLAR CORONAL HOLES AND THE FAST SOLAR WIND

I have studied the helium abundance in polar coronal holes and the fast solar wind using a time-dependent numerical model for the hydrogen-helium solar wind that spans the mid-to-upper chromosphere, transition region, corona, and solar wind. The model calculates the particle density, flow velocity, parallel and perpendicular temperature, and heat flux for all particle species simultaneously. The focus is on (1) the coronal/solar wind helium abundance as a function of the total magnetic field expansion and (2) the coronal abundance enhancements resulting from low helium heating rates. It is shown that the magnetic field expansion factor may be important in the determination of the solar wind helium abundance and that this can be understood in terms of gravitational settling in the chromosphere. I find that a total magnetic field expansion factor of about 20 is consistent with the observed helium abundance in the solar wind. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that existing observations, both spectroscopic observations of the corona and in situ observations in the solar wind, are compatible with helium abundance enhancements in the corona. For proton-electron plasma properties in accordance with observations, the coronal helium abundance enhancements occur in the region 1.2-2R(circle dot).