The Influence of Solar Irradiation and Solar Wind Conditions on Heavy Ion Escape from Mars

Zhang, Qi; Holmström, Mats; Wang, Xiao‐dong; Nilsson, Hans; Barabash, Stas

doi:10.1029/2023ja031828

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 45 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The effects of IMF orientation, dynamic pressure, and the location of the Martian crustal field on magnetic reconnection on the dayside were studied by MHD numerical simulation (Wang et al 2022). Zhang et al (2023a) indicated that the highest ion escape rate corresponds to the solar wind being parallel to the IMF, while the lowest ion escape rate occurs when the solar wind is perpendicular to it. In our work, only IMF B z and V x exist, suggesting that the ion escape rate is relatively low compared to other solar wind conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Solar Wind Interaction with Mars and Earth: Energy Transfer

Zhang,

Lu,

Wang

et al. 2024

ApJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Using a global magnetohydrodynamics numerical simulation, this work compares the interaction of the solar wind with Mars and Earth from the perspective of energy transfer under north–south interplanetary magnetic fields (IMFs). Mars lacks a global dipole magnetic field like Earth’s and instead has a small-scale crustal magnetic field near highlands in the southern hemisphere. Unlike Earth’s magnetopause reconnection (at the subsolar point or tail under a southward IMF, or behind the cusp under a northward IMF), the reconnection of the Martian magnetic pileup boundary (MPB) occurs near solar zenith angle (SZA) ≈ 45° (SZA ≈ 30° and 60°) for a southward (northward) IMF, resulting in asymmetric energy transfer between the northern and southern hemispheres. The Martian outflow of mechanical energy appears near SZA ≈ 45° (SZA ≈ 30° and 60°) under a southward (northward) IMF, accompanied by an inflow due to the process of “solar wind pickup.” For energy transfer across the MPB, whether the IMF is northward or southward, the input of electromagnetic energy is twice as large as the input of mechanical energy, which is similar to Earth’s magnetopause for a southward IMF, but opposite to it for a northward IMF. The energy transfer rate of the MPB is slightly higher in a northward IMF than in a southward one, whereas the energy transfer rate of Earth’s magnetopause is far higher in a southward IMF than in a northward one.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Solar Wind Interaction with Mars and Earth: Energy Transfer

Zhang,

Lu,

Wang

et al. 2024

ApJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

The Effect of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field Clock Angle and the Latitude Location of the Intense Crustal Magnetic Field on the Ion Escape at Mars: An MHD Simulation Study

Wang,

Guan,

Xie

et al. 2024

JGR Space Physics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this paper, using a three‐dimensional multifluid MHD model, we studied the effects of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) clock angle and the latitude position of the intense crustal magnetic field (ICMF) on the escape of ions O+, , and at Mars. The main results are as follows: (a) The IMF clock angle affects the ion escape at Mars. When the ICMF is on the dayside, the ion escape rate reaches a maximum at the IMF clock angles close to 60°–90° and a minimum at the IMF clock angles close to 120°–150°, because the ICMF can change the topology of the magnetic field and affect the interaction between the solar wind and Mars. The difference between the maximum and minimum ion escape rates due to the IMF clock angle can reach over 50%. (b) Compared with the −ESW hemisphere, the escape flux of and in the +ESW hemisphere is more significant. However, O+ generally has a larger escape flux in the −ESW hemisphere. The different results in the ±ESW hemispheres might be due to the larger distribution of the hot oxygen corona, which changes the flow pattern of O+. (c) The latitude location of the ICMF can also affect the ion escape. When the ICMF is on the dayside, as the subsolar point varies from 25°S to 25°N, that is, the intense crustal magnetic field position keeps shifting southward, the ion escape rate shows a gradual increase.

show abstract

Mars’s induced magnetosphere can degenerate

Zhang,

Barabash,

Holmstrom

et al. 2024

Nature

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The interaction between planets and stellar winds can lead to atmospheric loss and is, thus, important for the evolution of planetary atmospheres1. The planets in our Solar System typically interact with the solar wind, whose velocity is at a large angle to the embedded stellar magnetic field. For planets without an intrinsic magnetic field, this interaction creates an induced magnetosphere and a bow shock in front of the planet2. However, when the angle between the solar wind velocity and the solar wind magnetic field (cone angle) is small, the interaction is very different3. Here we show that when the cone angle is small at Mars, the induced magnetosphere degenerates. There is no shock on the dayside, only weak flank shocks. A cross-flow plume appears and the ambipolar field drives planetary ions upstream. Hybrid simulations with a 4° cone angle show agreement with observations by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission4 and Mars Express5. Degenerate, induced magnetospheres are complex and not yet explored objects. It remains to be studied what the secondary effects are on processes like atmospheric loss through ion escape.

show abstract

The Influence of Solar Irradiation and Solar Wind Conditions on Heavy Ion Escape from Mars

Cited by 3 publications

References 45 publications

Comparison of Solar Wind Interaction with Mars and Earth: Energy Transfer

Comparison of Solar Wind Interaction with Mars and Earth: Energy Transfer

The Effect of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field Clock Angle and the Latitude Location of the Intense Crustal Magnetic Field on the Ion Escape at Mars: An MHD Simulation Study

Mars’s induced magnetosphere can degenerate

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About