On the role of charge exchange in the formation of the Martian magnetic pileup boundary

Chen, Y.; Cloutier, P. A.; Crider, D. H.; Mazelle, C.; Rème, H.

doi:10.1029/2000ja000411

Cited by 14 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Comparisons of models to data suggest that ionization of the exosphere (via electron impact and charge exchange) play a role in creating the signatures observed by MGS Chen et al, 2001). Observation of the same boundary by the Phobos instruments allowed a more complete set of identifying signatures to be constructed, including a change in the ion population from solar wind dominated to planetary dominated (e.g.…”

Section: Mpb Signatures and Physicsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Mars Global Surveyor Measurements of the Martian Solar Wind Interaction

Brain

2006

Space Sci Rev

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The solar wind at Mars interacts with the extended atmosphere and small-scale crustal magnetic fields. This interaction shares elements with a variety of solar system bodies, and has direct bearing on studies of the long-term evolution of the Martian atmosphere, the structure of the upper atmosphere, and fundamental plasma processes. The magnetometer (MAG) and electron reflectometer (ER) on Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) continue to make many contributions toward understanding the plasma environment, thanks in large part to a spacecraft orbit that had low periapsis, had good coverage of the interaction region, and has been long-lived in its mapping orbit. The crustal magnetic fields discovered using MGS data perturb plasma boundaries on timescales associated with Mars' rotation and enable a complex magnetic field topology near the planet. Every portion of the plasma environment has been sampled by MGS, confirming previous measurements and making new discoveries in each region. The entire system is highly variable, and responds to changes in solar EUV flux, upstream pressure, IMF direction, and the orientation of Mars with respect to the Sun and solar wind flow. New insights from MGS should come from future analysis of new and existing data, as well as multi-spacecraft observations.

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Section: Mpb Signatures and Physicsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Mars Global Surveyor Measurements of the Martian Solar Wind Interaction

Brain

2006

Space Sci Rev

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“…The physics of charge exchange were mentioned in section 2. Owing to the restricted computation resource, and to simplify the Monte Carlo calculation and to save CPU time, we make use of the CE reaction rates calculated previously by Chen et al [2001]. The reaction rates are assumed to be symmetric around the Mars‐Sun direction by approximately ignoring the effects of interplanetary magnetic field (IMF).…”

Section: The Three‐dimensional Martian Hydrogen Exosphere Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Being resonant, CE reactions simply exchange the electron and therefore turn original solar wind protons into energetic neutral hydrogen and exosphere hydrogen into initially cold protons. On one hand, by picking up newly produced ions, parts of the solar wind hot protons are substituted, and in this way, CE reactions play an important role in the formation of the Martian magnetic pileup boundary (MPB) in the interaction of solar wind with Mars [ Ip , 1992; Chen et al , 2001]. On the other hand, energetic neutral atoms newly produced by CE are expected to change the Martian hydrogen exospheric profiles and eventually either to precipitate into the Martian upper atmosphere or to escape into the interplanetary space.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Martian hydrogen exosphere charge exchange with solar wind

Chen

Cloutier

2003

J. Geophys. Res.

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[1] Charge exchange of solar wind with the Martian exosphere has been shown to play a crucial role in the formation of the magnetic pileup boundary observed by Mars Global Surveyor. However, the question of how the Martian exospheric structure is quantitatively altered by charge exchange of the solar wind remains open. To answer this question, a three-dimensional Monte Carlo exosphere model was developed. In this model the effects of planetary rotation, photoionization, Lyman a scattering, and charge exchange with the solar wind are included. Although the change of exospheric density profile is indistinctive, simulation results show that the existence of the hot atomic hydrogen population produced by charge exchange alters the exospheric temperature structure greatly and the symmetry of the exospheric structure is totally destroyed at high altitude. Another noticeable phenomenon is that charge exchange and Lyman a scattering combine to make the nightside exosphere be cooler than and expand more slowly than the ambient exosphere. In the end we use our simulation results to estimate the contribution of the hot component to Ly a emission. Furthermore, output of our model can be used to predict particle observations made by future missions to Mars.

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“…A third mechanism to be considered is charge exchange between the energetic precipitating O + ions and exospheric neutrals [Chen et al, 2001] followed by reionization of the energetic neutral atoms either by photoionization or electron impact ionization by the hot postshock electrons [Crider et al, 2000]. This may also allow the precipitating O + ion to gyrate back to the solar wind.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

O⁺ ion beams reflected below the Martian bow shock: MAVEN observations

et al. 2016

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We investigate a generation mechanism of O+ ion beams observed above the Martian bow shock by analyzing ion velocity distribution functions (VDFs) measured by the Suprathermal and Thermal Ion Composition instrument on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft. In the solar wind near Mars, MAVEN often observes energetic O+ ion beams (~10 keV or higher). Accompanied with the O+ ion beam events, we sometimes observe characteristic ion VDFs in the magnetosheath: a partial ring distribution. The partial ring distribution corresponds to pickup ions with a finite initial velocity (i.e., not newborn pickup ions), and its phase space density is much smaller than that of local pickup O+ ions of the magnetosheath. Thus, the partial ring distribution is most likely produced by the reflection of pickup O+ ions precipitating from the upstream solar wind below the bow shock. After being injected into the magnetosheath from the solar wind, the precipitating O+ ions are subject to the significantly enhanced magnetic field in this region and start to gyrate around the guiding center of the plasma frame in the magnetosheath. Consequently, a part of precipitating O+ ions are reflected back to the solar wind, generating O+ beams in the solar wind. The beams direct quasi‐sunward near the subsolar region but have large angle with respect to the sunward direction at high solar zenith angles (>50°). The reflected O+ beams are accelerated by the convection electric field of the solar wind and may escape Mars.

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On the role of charge exchange in the formation of the Martian magnetic pileup boundary

Cited by 14 publications

References 33 publications

Mars Global Surveyor Measurements of the Martian Solar Wind Interaction

Mars Global Surveyor Measurements of the Martian Solar Wind Interaction

Martian hydrogen exosphere charge exchange with solar wind

O⁺ ion beams reflected below the Martian bow shock: MAVEN observations

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On the role of charge exchange in the formation of the Martian magnetic pileup boundary

Cited by 14 publications

References 33 publications

Mars Global Surveyor Measurements of the Martian Solar Wind Interaction

Mars Global Surveyor Measurements of the Martian Solar Wind Interaction

Martian hydrogen exosphere charge exchange with solar wind

O+ ion beams reflected below the Martian bow shock: MAVEN observations

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Product

Resources

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O⁺ ion beams reflected below the Martian bow shock: MAVEN observations