Physical Process for the Pick-Up of Minor Ions by Low-Frequency Alfvén Waves

We study the physical process for the pick-up of minor ions by obliquely propagating low-frequency Alfvén waves. It is demonstrated that minor ions can be picked up by the intrinsic low-frequency Alfvén waves observed in the solar wind. When the wave amplitude exceeds the threshold condition for stochasticity, a minor ion can gain a high magnetic moment through the stochastic heating process. Then, the ion with a large magnetic moment can be trapped in the magnetic mirror-like field structures formed by the large-amplitude low-frequency Alfvén waves in the wave frame. As a result, the ion is picked up by the Alfvén waves.