Editing Advanced Composition Explorer (section)

=== Formation of the solar corona and acceleration of the solar wind ===
[[Solar energetic particles]], solar wind, and spectroscopic observations show that the elemental composition of the [[solar corona]] is differentiated from that of the [[photosphere]], although the processes by which this occurs, and by which the solar wind is subsequently accelerated, are poorly understood. The detailed composition and charge–state data provided by ACE are used to:
* Isolate the dominant coronal formation processes by comparing a broad range of coronal and photospheric abundances;
* Study plasma conditions at the source of solar wind and solar energetic particles by measuring and comparing the charge states of these two populations;
* Study solar wind acceleration processes and any charge or mass-dependent fractionation in various types of solar wind flows.