On ionization in H I regions

A comparison is made of the K I, Na I, Ca II, and H I interstellar absorption lines formed in relatively low-density interstellar clouds in H I regions. The data indicate that the fractional ionization (ratio of electron density to hydrogen density) is nearly constant for a range in hydrogen densities covering a factor of 15. If ionization balance exists in the clouds, then ionization of hydrogen by either low-energy cosmic rays or soft X-rays cannot be the principal source of the observed free electrons, and the hydrogen ionization rate is less than 10 to the -16th power per sec for these processes.