Premium
The discovery of nitrogen ions in the Earth's magnetosphere
Author(s) -
Chappell C. R.,
Olsen R. C.,
Green J. L.,
Johnson J. F. E.,
Waite J. H.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/gl009i009p00937
Subject(s) - magnetosphere , plasmasphere , ion , mass spectrometry , physics , polar , atmospheric sciences , nitrogen , environmental science , atomic physics , plasma , astronomy , nuclear physics , quantum mechanics
Operating in a mass scanning mode, the Retarding Ion Mass Spectrometer (RIMS) has measured N + and N ++ ions in the magnetosphere. Both N + and N ++ are observed in the plasmasphere with N + ions also seen flowing out of the northern polar cap at altitudes up to 3 R E . The N + fluxes are 5 to 10% of the O + fluxes with the N ++ fluxes at 1 to 5% of the N + fluxes.