We aim to investigate the distribution function of ⟨QFe⟩ at 1AU to check if it corresponds to a bimodal wind. We use data from SWICS instrument on board the ACE spacecraft along 20 years. We propose the bi-Gaussian function as the probability distribution function that fits the ⟨QFe⟩ distribution. We study the evolution of the parameters of the bimodal distribution with the solar cycle. We compare the outliers of the sample with the existing catalogues of ICMEs and identify new ICMEs. The ⟨QFe⟩ at 1 AU shows a bimodal distribution related to the solar cycle. Our results confirm that ⟨QFe⟩>12 is a trustworthy proxy for ICME identification and a reliable signature in the ICME boundary definition.
@article{arxiv.2009.07596,
title = {The distribution function of the average iron charge state at 1 AU: from a bimodal wind to ICME identification},
author = {C. Larrodera and C. Cid},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2009.07596},
year = {2021}
}