Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1990

Abstract

We show here that the densities of mass-28 ions measured by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter ion mass spectrometer (OIMS) on the nightside of Venus are highly variable and show little correlation with the values of the O+ densities. We have determined the total production rates of mass-28 ions in the chemical equilibrium region and find that this production rate cannot be explained by known chemical production reactions. We propose that the “excess” production is due to precipitation of electrons into the nightside thermosphere.

Comments

Copyright © 1990 by the American Geophysical Union.

The following article appeared in Geophysical Research Letters 17(10), and may be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/GL017i010p01625/full

Permission to Deposit an Article in an Institutional Repository:

Adopted by Council 13 December 2009.

AGU allows authors to deposit their journal articles if the version is the final published citable version of record, the AGU copyright statement is clearly visible on the posting, and the posting is made 6 months after official publication by the AGU.

DOI

10.1029/GL017i010p01625


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