Comparison of the He+ layer observed over Arecibo during solar maximum and solar minimum with CTIP model results

Light ion concentration observations from the Arecibo incoherent scatter radar have shown regions of He+ layering in the topside ionosphere in the postmidnight hours. The He+ layering phenomenon has been observed during both solar maximum and solar minimum conditions. During solar maximum the layer is well defined, giving maximum relative abundances of over 50%. The observational results also show regions of He+ dominance in the topside ionosphere during solar maximum in the height range 750–1200 km. During solar minimum the magnitude of the layer is less, giving a maximum relative abundance of only ∼20%; however, the layer is still a well‐defined feature. The coupled thermosphere‐ionosphere‐plasmasphere (CTIP) model is shown to model accurately the He+ layer and the regions of He+ dominance, provided that the modeled temperature profiles are normalized to the observed values. This study serves to further highlight the importance of helium ions in the topside ionosphere, particularly during solar maximum nighttime conditions.