Energy-dependent ionization states of shock-accelerated particles in the solar corona

We examine the range of possible energy dependence of the ionization states of ions that are shock-accelerated from the ambient plasma of the solar co rona. If acceleration begins in a region of moderate density, sufficiently low in the corona, ions above similar to 0.1 MeV/amu approach an equilibriu m charge state that depends primarily upon their speed and only weakly on t he plasma temperature. We suggest that the large variations of the charge s tates with energy for ions such as Si and Fe observed in the 1997 November 6 event are consistent with stripping in moderately dense coronal plasma du ring shock acceleration. In the large solar-particle events studied previou sly, acceleration occurs sufficiently high in the corona that even Fe ions up to 600 MeV/amu are not stripped of electrons.