The solar wind plasma consist of primarily of hot electrons and protons with a minor fraction of He2+ ions and some other heavier ions (typically at high charge states). The table lists the basic solar wind characteristics. The solar wind originating from the streamers (closed field lines) is slow, while that originating from the coronal holes is fast. This creates the so-called "corotating interaction regions" (CIR) in the interplanetary space. As the solar wind moves away from the sun, tangential discontinuities and interplanetary (fast) shocks are formed, creating pressure variations
.. Parameter........ Minimum.. Average.. Maximum
Flux (cm-2s-1) ...........1.......... 3 .......... 100
Velocity (km/s)........... 200......... 400.......... 900
Density (cm-3)........... 0.4.......... 6.5.......... 100
............Helium %........... 0........... 5 .......... 25
............B (nT) ............ 0.2 ........... 6 .......... 80
