Solar wind carbon, nitrogen and oxygen abundances measured in the Earth's magnetosheath with AMPTE/CCE

Journal Article · Fri Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986 · Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/GL013i008p00793· OSTI ID:5109908

Gloeckler, G; Ipavich, F M; Hamilton, D C; Wilken, B; Stuedemann, W; Kremser, G; Hovestadt, D

The solar wind number density ratios of C/sup 6+/+C/sup 5+/ and N/sup 7+/+N/sup 6+/+N/sup 5+/ relative to O/sup 8+/+O/sup 7+/+O/sup 6+/ have been measured for the first time using data from the Charge-Energy-Mass (CHEM) spectrometer on the AMPTE/CCE spacecraft during four solar active periods from Sept. 19 to Nov. 1, 1984 when CCE traversed the subsolar magnetosheath of the compressed magnetosphere. We find the average values of the density ratios of C/O and N/O to be 0.43 +- 0.03 and 0.15 +- 0.06, respectively. These ratios, as well as our average He/sup 2+//O ratio of 43 +- 5 for these same time periods, are in excellent agreement with Solar Energetic Particles (SEP) abundance ratios as well as SEP-derived coronal abundances of these elements. Our solar wind C/O ratio is substantially below the generally accepted photospheric value of 0.60.

• Research Organization: Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 and Inst. for Phys. and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
• OSTI ID: 5109908
• Journal Information: Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States), Journal Name: Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States) Vol. 13:8; ISSN GPRLA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640203* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Magnetospheric Phenomena-- (-1987)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ABUNDANCE
CARBON IONS
CHARGED PARTICLES
EARTH PLANET
IONIC COMPOSITION
IONS
MAGNETOSHEATH
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
NITROGEN IONS
OXYGEN IONS
PLANETS
QUANTITY RATIO
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR WIND
SPACE VEHICLES
SPECTROMETERS
VEHICLES