Discovery of He2+ and O2+ ions of terrestrial origin in the outer magnetosphere
- 7 December 1977
- journal article
- Published by American Geophysical Union (AGU) in Geophysical Research Letters
- Vol. 4 (12) , 561-564
- https://doi.org/10.1029/gl004i012p00561
Abstract
Using the Ion Composition Experiment (ICE) on board ESA'S GEOS satellite we have observed He2+ and O2+ ions of terrestrial origin in the outer magnetosphere predominantly in the energy range ∼ 1 ‐ 100 eV. Data were obtained near the equatorial plane at geocentric distances of 3 to 7 earth radii in the local time sector 1500 ‐ 2100 hours. During periods when doubly charged ions are observed typical abundances are O2+/O+ ∼ 30% and He2+/He+ ∼ 0.5% ‐ 10%. The proportions of the major constituents H+, He+, and O+ are highly variable with He+ occasionally the dominant species at higher altitudes.Keywords
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