Elemental Abundances in the Solar Corona as Measured by the X-ray Solar Monitor Onboard Chandrayaan-1

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.