A charge-consistent model for the acceleration of iron in the solar corona: Nonisothermal injection

A charge-consistent numerical model for the joint (regular and stochastic) acceleration of iron by a spherical shock wave propagating in the solar corona is proposed. Large-scale irregularities of the plasma density and the nonisothermal injection of ions are taken into account. For the case of iron, the energy dependence of the mean charge q_Fe(E) is determined by the relationships between the characteristic acceleration time, the charge-variation time for the accelerated ions, and the time for their trapping in regions of high plasma density. Due to the global inhomogeneity of the medium, these relationships depend on the shock speed. Our calculations indicate that photoionization by soft X-rays from flare regions can substantially change the charge states of heavy ions only in the most powerful solar events (both impulsive and gradual).