⁶Li from solar flares

By introducing a hitherto ignored ⁶Li producing process, due to accelerated ³He reactions with ⁴He, we show that accelerated particle interactions in solar flares produce much more ⁶Li than ⁷Li. By normalizing our calculations to gamma-ray data, we demonstrate that the ⁶Li produced in solar flares, combined with photospheric ⁷Li, can account for the recently determined solar wind lithium isotopic ratio, obtained from measurements in lunar soil, provided that the bulk of the flare-produced lithium is evacuated by the solar wind. Further research in this area could provide unique information on a variety of problems, including solar atmospheric transport and mixing, solar convection and the lithium depletion issue, and solar wind and solar particle acceleration.