Solar wind influence on the oxygen content of ion outflow in the high-altitude polar cap during solar minimum conditions

We correlate solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) properties with the properties of O(+) and H(+) during early 1996 (solar minimum) at altitudes between 5.5 and 8.9 R(sub E) geocentric using the Thermal Ion Dynamics Experiment (TIDE) on the Polar satellite. Throughout the high-altitude polar cap we observe H(+) to be more abundant than O(+). O(+) is found to be more abundant at lower latitudes when the solar wind speed is low (and Kp is low), while at higher solar wind speeds (and high Kp), O(+) is observed across most of the polar cap. The O(+) density and parallel flux are well organized by solar wind dynamic pressure, both increasing with solar wind dynamic pressure. Both the O(+) density and parallel flux have positive correlations with both V(sub SW)B(sub IMF) and E(sub SW). No correlation is found between O(+) density and IMF Bz, although a nonlinear relationship with IMF By is observed, possibly due to a strong linear correlation with the dynamic pressure. H(+) is not as highly correlated with solar wind and IMF parameters, although H(+) density and parallel flux are negatively correlated with IMF By and positively correlated with both V(sub SW)B(sub IMF) and E(sub SW). In this solar minimum data set, H(+) is dominant, so that contributions of this plasma to the plasma sheet would have very low O(+) to H(+) ratios.