Photoionization of neutral molecules in the coma surrounding a comet produces heavy ions which contaminate and mass‐load the solar wind. Cometary ion distribution functions in the vicinity of comet Giacobini‐Zinner (G/Z) are calculated using a Monte Carlo method. The distribution function calculated behind the shock has both cold (≈ 2 keV) and hot (≈ 40 keV) components.
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T. E. Cravens (1986) studied this question.
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