The Plasma Environment of Mars

Nagy, Andrew F.; Winterhalter, D.; Sauer, K.; Cravens, T. E.; Brecht, S. H.; Mazelle, C.; Crider, D. H.; Kallio, Esa; Захаров, А. В.; Dubinin, E.; Веригин, М. И.; Котова, Г. А.; Axford, W. I.; Bertucci, C.; Trotignon, J. G.

doi:10.1007/978-0-306-48604-3_2

Cited by 140 publications

(174 citation statements)

References 228 publications

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“…A variety of names have been employed in the literature to designate this boundary (see Vignes et al, 2000) who used comparative data to show that the magnetic pileup boundary, planetopause, magnetopause, plasma composition boundary and protonopause are all names for the same feature. A detailed account of the issues involved is contained in Nagy et al (2004). See also an account of the further name Induced Magnetospheric Boundary (IMB) used by the Mars Express experimenters to describe the boundary between the Martian magnetosheath (where the solar wind plasma is diverted around the planet) and the ionosphere/tail/inner magnetosphere (Lundin et al, 2004).…”

Section: The Phobos-2 Mission and The Onboard Sled Instrumentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Magnetic shadowing of high energy ions at Mars and how this effect can be simulated using a hybrid model

et al. 2012

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Energetic particle data recorded by the SLED instrument aboard Phobos-2 while in circular orbit about Mars (6-26 March, 1989) showed the presence of magnetic shadowing. A 3-D, self consistent, hybrid model (HYBMars) supplemented by test particle simulations was developed to study the response of the Martian plasma environment to solar disturbances and to reproduce, in particular, the magnetic shadowing effect. The pertaining magnetic and electric fields as well as the properties of high energy ions present at Mars under conditions of extreme solar disturbances, can be derived from HYB-Mars. This model predicted a plasma phenomenon at the planet, named here 'solar wind-flow shadowing', which was earlier identified in the measurements of the ASPERA (plasma) experiment aboard Phobos-2. HYB also predicted magnetic shadowing which is qualitatively similar to that recorded by SLED. The simulations suggest that the configuration of a magnetic shadow depends on the pertaining solar wind density and velocity, and on the magnitude and direction of the interplanetary magnetic field. It is currently planned to input to the HYB model plasma and magnetic field data measured contemporaneously with the particle measurements aboard Phobos-2 so as to more realistically match the simulated results with the in situ observations.

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Section: The Phobos-2 Mission and The Onboard Sled Instrumentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Magnetic shadowing of high energy ions at Mars and how this effect can be simulated using a hybrid model

et al. 2012

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“…Nagy et al, 2004). The induced magnetospheric boundary separates the magnetosheath, dominated by solar wind protons, from the ionosphere, dominated by heavy ions (O + , O 2 + ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hybrid simulations of proton precipitation patterns onto the upper atmosphere of Mars

et al. 2012

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We study the dependence of proton precipitation patterns onto the Martian upper atmosphere on altitude, proton energy, proton origin, and in a lesser extent, solar zenith angle, using the HYB-Mars model, a 3D quasineutral hybrid model. We find that the flux of precipitating protons has a strong altitude dependence: on the dayside, the flux of precipitating protons decreases substantially when the altitude over Mars decreases. We also find that the contribution of exospheric protons to the deposition is significant and its spatial distribution is not identical to that of the solar wind protons. In addition, the low energy proton population comes mainly from the newborn planetary protons. The energized pick-up protons and solar wind protons contribute to the higher energy proton population. The study also confirms that the proton precipitation is highly asymmetric with respect to the direction of the convection electric field in the solar wind. The study implies that the Martian induced magnetosphere protects the upper atmosphere effectively against proton precipitation.

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“…The solar wind plasma interacting directly with the Martian upper atmosphere contributes, besides photoionization, to the production of planetary ions by processes such as electron impacts or charge exchanges. The present understanding of this interaction has been recently reviewed by Mazelle et al (2004) and Nagy et al (2004). The interaction does not only affect the solar wind flow, but also provides scavenging mechanisms enhancing the loss of planetary matter (H, He, C, N and O) and thus contributes to the dehydration of Mars over cosmological time scales.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of the solar EUV flux on the Martian plasma environment

Modolo¹,

Chanteur²,

et al. 2005

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Abstract. The interaction of the solar wind with the Martian atmosphere and ionosphere is investigated by using threedimensional, global and multi-species hybrid simulations. In the present work we focus on the influence of the solar EUV flux on the Martian plasma environment by comparing simulations done for conditions representative of the extrema of the solar cycle. The dynamics of four ionic species (H + , He ++ , O + , O + 2 ), originating either from the solar wind or from the planetary plasma, is treated fully kinetically in the simulation model in order to characterize the distribution of each component of the plasma, both at solar maximum and at solar minimum. The solar EUV flux controls the ionization frequencies of the exospheric species, atomic hydrogen and oxygen, as well as the density, the temperature, and thus the extension of the exosphere. Ionization by photons and by electron impacts, and the main charge exchange reactions are self-consistently included in the simulation model. Simulation results are in reasonable agreement with the observations made by Phobos-2 and Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft: 1) the interaction creates a cavity, void of solar wind ions (H + , He ++ ), which depends weakly upon the phase of the solar cycle, 2) the motional electric field of the solar wind flow creates strong asymmetries in the Martian environment, 3) the spatial distribution of the different components of the planetary plasma depends strongly upon the phase of the solar cycle. The fluxes of the escaping planetary ions are computed from the simulated data and results for solar maximum are compared with estimates based on the measurements made by experiments ASPERA and TAUS on board Phobos-2.

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The Plasma Environment of Mars

Cited by 140 publications

References 228 publications

Magnetic shadowing of high energy ions at Mars and how this effect can be simulated using a hybrid model

Magnetic shadowing of high energy ions at Mars and how this effect can be simulated using a hybrid model

Hybrid simulations of proton precipitation patterns onto the upper atmosphere of Mars

Influence of the solar EUV flux on the Martian plasma environment

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