Abstract
Data from the cylindrical electrostatic probe and from the Bennett ion mass spectrometer on board the AE‐C satellite were examined in order to determine the influence of electron temperature (Te) and ion composition on the amount of ion depletion in the wake of an ionospheric satellite. We observe that both electron temperature and ionic composition significantly influence the amount of ion depletion in the near wake zone, as measured by the ion current collected by the cylindrical probe mounted about 32 cm from the surface of the satellite. The ion current in the wake in an O+ dominated plasma decreases with respect to ambient by about two orders of magnitude at Te ≈ 1000°K and by a factor of about 30 at Te ≈ 3000°K. For a plasma where the O+ density equals the H+ density, the ion current decreases by a factor of 6 in the wake at Te = 1000°K and by a factor of 2.3 at 3000°K.
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