Oxygen PSBL investigation

We investigated the dynamics and structure of the plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL) by considering oxygen (O+) using multiple spacecraft. In the past, most studies have focused on H+ beams in the PSBL. Our observations show fine structure in the form of O+ beamlets, similar to the hydrogen (H+) beamlets. Consequently, an observational characterization of these O+ beams and a comparison to H+ is needed to determine whether the O+ PSBL is similarly structured as the H+ PSBL. This will also help in determining the role of O+ in magnetotail dynamics.