Comparison of plasma sheet ion composition with the IMF and solar wind plasma

Plasma sheet energetic ion data (0.1- to 16 keV/e) obtained by the Plasma Composition Experiment on ISEE-1 between 10 and 23 earth radii are compared with concurrent IMF and solar wind plasma data. The densities of H(+) and He(++) ions in the plasma sheet are found to be the highest, and the most nearly proportional to the solar wind density, when the IMF B(z) is not northward. The density of terrestrial O(+) ions increases strongly with increasing magnitude of the IMF, in apparent agreement with the notion that the IMF plays a fundamental role in the electric coupling between the solar wind and the ionosphere.