Oxygen outflow in the Martian magnetotail

Characteristic features of the oxygen ion (O+) outflow in the nightside of Mars have been studied. The data set used includes all high telemetry O+ energy spectra observations made by the ASPERA particle instrument onboard the Phobos 2 spacecraft. Oxygen outflow within the optical shadow of Mars was detected on all orbits, but no clear structure was found when the ions were organised according to the cross‐flow component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Oxygen ions in the tail outside the shadow were, in contrast, detected only on a few orbits and were related to fluctuating magnetosheath magnetic and electric fields with non‐Parker spiral IMF orientation. The analysis indicates that O+ ions within the optical shadow from a “steady”, ever persisting outflow feature. The high energy O+ ions in the tail outside the optical shadow are in contrast possibly a manifestation of the dynamic nature of the Martian tail, although effects associated to an asymmetric tail can not be fully excluded.