Dynamics of Magnetospheric Ion Composition as Observed by the GEOS Mass Spectrometer

  • J. Geiss
  • H. Balsiger
  • P. Eberhardt
  • H. P. Walker
  • L. Weber
  • D. T. Young
  • H. Rosenbauer
Chapter

Abstract

After one year of operation the GEOS-1 Ion Composition Experiment has surveyed plasma composition at all local times in the L range 3~8 and the energy per charge range from thermal to 16 keV/e. From measurements made in the keV range during eleven magnetic storms we find that the percentage of heavy (M/Q > 1) ions present in the outer magnetosphere increases by a factor of 3 to 10 during disturbances. We conclude that two independent sources (solar wind, characterized by 4He2+, and ionosphere, characterized by O+) give on the average comparable contributions to injected populations, although in a single event one or the other source may dominate. However, in magnetically quiet periods protons are the dominant species with a few percent of heavy ions. With the help of special satellite manoeuvres magnetic field aligned fluxes of ≈0.05–3 keV/e H+, He+, O+ with traces of O2+ have been observed which may be related to ion beams found previously at lower altitudes in the auroral zone. At still lower energies (~1 eV/e) the thermal plasma population is found to be made up of six ion species, three of which, D+, He2+ and O2+, were unknown in the magnetosphere prior to the GEOS-1 measurements. We present here a study of the evolution of doubly charged ions and their parent populations over four consecutive days. Various production mechanisms for doubly charged ions are discussed. We argue that ionization of singly charged ions by UV and energetic electrons and protons is the dominant process for plasmasphere production. Furthermore, the observed high concentrations of O2+ at high altitudes are a result of production in the upper ionosphere and plasmasphere combined with upward transport by thermal diffusion.

Throughout the 1 year lifetime of GEOS-1 the ICE functioned perfectly and, because of its novel design, a short review of technical performance is included here.

Keywords

Solar Wind Charge Exchange Pitch Angle Magnetic Storm Flux Tube 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland 1978

Authors and Affiliations

  • J. Geiss
    • 1
  • H. Balsiger
    • 1
  • P. Eberhardt
    • 1
  • H. P. Walker
    • 1
  • L. Weber
    • 1
  • D. T. Young
    • 1
  • H. Rosenbauer
    • 2
  1. 1.Physikalisches InstitutUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
  2. 2.Max-Planck-Institut für AeronomieKatlenburg-LindauGermany

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