Abstract
We examine long-term energetic heavy ion measurements including three
planets’ magnetospheres, focusing on Fe ions (specifically, but not
exclusively, Fe+) in and near Earth’s magnetosphere. We compare Fe data
to that of other energetic ion species with masses greater than C
(carbon) and consider the relationship(s) of energetic Fe ion
measurements at the three planets to internal (ionospheres, exospheres,
moons, rings, and trapped radiation) and external (solar wind and
interplanetary dust) source candidates. Fe+ has been observed at Earth
and Saturn, but not yet at Jupiter, as our observations there were
brief. The measurements are from two functionally identical
charge-energy-mass ion spectrometers: one on Geotail
(~87-212 keV/e), orbiting Earth at ~9-30
Re; and the other on Cassini (~83-167 keV/e), in
interplanetary space, during Jupiter flyby, and at ~4-20
Rs on its constantly varying orbits around Saturn. These ion
spectrometers efficiently separate energetic light and heavy ions by
mass, as well as lower charge state ions from higher charge state ions
by mass-per-charge. Energetic low charge state ions often derive from
magnetospheric sources, while energetic high charge state ions most
often derive from the solar wind. We also enlist heavy ion measurements
closer to the Earth from AMPTE/CCE which are used for C and Fe
radiation-belt- modeling content, consideration, and estimation.