Authors: E Johnson (University of Delaware)

The solar wind is a plasma that frequently exhibits strong departures from local thermal equilibrium (LTE). Previous studies focusing on non-LTE features have largely been limited to single spacecraft missions, and the most abundant solar wind ions: protons and alpha-particles. Collisional analysis, which combines the effects of collisional relaxation and expansion, is a relatively new technique that has been utilized to study such non-LTE features. Broadening the applicability of collisional analysis will allow these non-LTE features to be further probed, enabling the secrets of the corona to be unlocked.