The charge composition aspect of energetic trapped particles

Three possible sources of particle species important to the energy balance of the magnetosphere are discussed, with special emphasis on particles with different charge-to-mass ratios. Possibilities for various experimental tests are pointed out. Some recent experimental data on geomagnetically trapped alpha particles are compared with relevant results of current theoretical work. An experiment is proposed that is likely to provide quantitative indications for the energization and loss processes affecting ionic particle species in the magnetosphere.