Abstract
Using magnetometer and electron observations from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and theWind spacecraft we show that the region of magnetic field pile-up and density decrease located between the Martian ionosphere and bow shock exhibit strong similarities with the plasma depletion layer (PDL) observed upstream of the Earth’s magnetopause in the absence of magnetic reconnection when the magnetopause is a solid obstacle in the solar wind. A PDL is formed upstream of the terrestrial magnetopause when the magnetic field piles up against the obstacle and particles in the pile-up region are squeezed away from the high magnetic pressure region along the field lines as the flux tubes convect toward the magnetopause. We here discuss the possibility that at least part of the region of magnetic field pile-up and density depletion upstream of Mars may be formed by the same physical processes which generate the PDL upstream of the Earth’s magnetopause. More complete ion, electron, and neutral measurements are needed to conclusively determine the relative importance of the plasma depletion process versus exospheric processes.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Abbreviations
- MGS:
-
Mars global surveyor
- MPB:
-
magnetic pileup boundary
- PDL:
-
plasma depletion layer
- PEB:
-
photo electron boundary
References
Acuña, M. H. et al.: 1998, ‘Field and Plasma Observations at Mars: Initial Results of the Mars Global Surveyor Mission’, Science 279, 1676.
Acuña, M. H. et al.: 1999, ‘Global Distribution of Crustal Magnetization Discovered by the Mars Global Surveyor MAG/ER Experiment’, Science 184, 790.
Anderson, B. J. and Fuselier, S. A.: 1993, ‘Magnetic Pulsations from 0.1 to 4.0 Hz and Associated Plasma Properties in the Earth’s subsolar Magnetosheath and Plasma Depletion Layer’, J. Geophys. Res. 98, 1461.
Anderson, B. J., Fuselier, S. A., Gary, S. P. and Denton, R. E.: 1994, ‘Magnetic Spectral Signatures in the Earth’s Magnetosheath and Plasma Depletion Layer’, J. Geophys. Res. 98, 1461.
Anderson, B. J., Phan, T. D. and Fuselier, S. A.: 1997, ‘Relationships Between Plasma Depletion and Subsolar Reconnection’, J. Geophys. Res. 102, 9531.
Bertucci, C. et al.: 2002, ‘Magnetic Field Draping Enhancement at the Magnetic Pileup Boundary of Mars from Mars Global Surveyor Observations’, submitted to Geophys. Res. Lett.
Breus, T. K., Krymskii, A. M., Lundin, R., Dubinin, E. M., Luhmann, J. G., Yeroshenko, Y. G., Barabash, S. V., Mitnitskii, V. Y., Pissarenko, N. F. and Styashkin, V. A.: 1991. A.: 1991, ‘The Solar Wind Interaction with Mars: Consideration of Phobos 2 Mission Observations of an Ion Composition Boundary on the Dayside’, J. Geophys. Res. 96, 11165.
Chen, Y., Cloutier, P. A., Crider, D. H., Mazelle, C. and Rème, H.: 2001, ‘On the Role of Charge Exchange in the Formation of the Martian Magnetic Pile-up Boundary’, J. Geophys. Res. 106, 29387.
Cravens, T. E., Kozyra, J. U., Nagy, A. F., Gombosi, T. I. and Kurtz, M.: 1987, ‘Electron Impact Ionization in the Vicinity of Comets’, J. Geophys. Res. 92, 7341.
Crider, D. H. et al.: 2000, ‘Evidence of Electron Impact Ionization in the Magnetic Pileup Boundary of Mars’, Geophys. Res. Lett. 27, 45.
Crider, D. H. et al.: 2002, ‘Observations of the Latitude Dependence of the Location of the Martian Magnetic Pileup Boundary’, Geophys. Res. Lett. (in press).
Crider, D. H., Vignes, D., Krymskii, A. M., Breus, T. K., Ness, N. F., Mitchell, D. L. et al.: 2003, ‘A Proxy for Determining Solar Wind Dynamic Pressure at Mars using Mars Global Surveyor Data; J. Geophys. Res. 108 (A12): 1461, 10.1029/2003JA009875.
Crooker, N. U., Eastman, T. E. and Stiles, G. S.: 1979, ‘Observations of Plasma Depletion in the Magnetosheath at the Dayside Magnetopause’, J. Geophys. Res. 84, 869.
Dubinin, E. M., Sauer, K., Baumgärtel, K. and Lundin, R.: 1997, ‘The Martian Magnetosheath: Phobos-2 Observations’, Adv. Space Sci. 20, 149.
Fuselier, S. A., Klumpar, D. M., Shelley, E. G., Anderson, B. J. and Coates, A. J.: 1991. J.: 1991, ‘He(2+) and H(+) Dynamics in the Subsolar Magnetosheath and Plasma Depletion Layer’, J. Geophys. Res. 96, 21095.
Grard, R., Pedersen, A., Klimov, S., Savin, S. and Skalskii, A.: 1989, ‘First Measurements of Plasma Waves near Mars’, Nature 341, 607.
Gringauz, K. I., Bezrukikh, V. V., Volkov, G. I., Breus, T. K., Musatov, I. S., Havkin, L. P. and Sloutchonkov, G. P.: 1973, ‘Preliminary Results on Plasma Electrons from Mars-2 and Mars-3’, Icarus 18, 54.
Kallio, E., Koskinen, H., Barabash, S., Lundin, R., Norberg, O. and Luhmann, J. G.: 1994, ‘Proton Flow in the Martian Magnetosheath’, J. Geophys. Res. 99, 23 547.
Lepping, R. P. et al.: 1995, ‘The Wind Magnetic Field Investigation’, Space Sci. Rev. 71, 207.
Lin, R. P. et al.: 1995, ‘A Three-Dimensional Plasma and Energetic Particle Investigation for the Wind Spacecraft’, Space Sci. Rev. 71, 125.
Lundin, R., Norberg, O., Dubinin, E. M., Pisarenko, N. and Koskinen, H.: 1991, ‘On the Momentum Transfer of the Solar Wind to the Martian Topside Ionosphere’, Geophys. Res. Lett. 18, 1059.
Mazelle, C. et al.: 1989, ‘Analysis of Suprathermal Electron Properties at the Magnetic Pile-up Boundary of Comet P/Halley’, Geophys. Res. Lett. 16, 1035.
Mazelle, C. et al., ‘The Magnetic Pileup Boundary at Mars: A Comet-like Feature in the Interaction of the Planet Atmosphere with the Solar Wind’, this issue.
Mitchell, D. L., Lin, R. P., Rème, H., Crider, D. H., Cloutier, P. A., Connerney, J. E. P., Acuña, M. H. and Ness, N. F.: 2000, ‘Oxygen Auger Electrons Observed in Mars’ ionosphere’, Geophys. Res. Lett. 27, 1871.
Neubauer, F. M. et al.: 1986, ‘First Results from the Giotto Magnetometer Experiment at Comet Halley’, Nature 321, 352.
Paschmann, G., Sckopke, N., Haerendel, G., Papamastorakis, J., Bame, S. J., Asbridge, J.R., Gosling, J. T., Hones, E. W. Jr and Tech, E. R.: 1978, ‘ISEE Plasma Observations near the Subsolar Magnetopause’, Space Sci. Rev. 22, 717.
Paschmann, G., Baumjohann, W., Sckopke, N., Phan, T. D. and Lühr, H.: 1993, ‘Structure of the Dayside Magnetopause for Low Magnetic Shear, J. Geophys. Res. 98, 13409.
Phan, T. D., Paschmann, G., Baumjohann, W., Sckopke, N. and Lühr, H.: 1994, ‘The Magnetosheath Region Adjacent to the Dayside Magnetopause: AMPTE/IRM Observations’, J. Geophys. Res. 99, 121.
Phan, T. D. et al.: 1996, ‘The Subsolar Magnetopause for High Solar Wind Ram Pressure: WIND Observations’, Geophys. Res. Lett. 23, 1279.
Phan, T. D. et al.: 1997, ‘Low-latitude Dusk Flank Magnetosheath, Magnetopause and Boundary Layer for Low Magnetic Shear: Wind Observations’, J. Geophys. Res. 102, 19883.
Sauer, K., Bogdanov, A. and Baumgartel, K.: 1995, ‘The Protonopause-an Ion Composition Boundary in the Magnetosheath of Comets, Venus and Mars’, Adv. Space Res. 16 (4), 153.
Sauer, K. and Dubinin, E.: 2000, ‘The Nature of the Martian ‘Obstacle Boundary”, Adv. Space. Res. 26, 1633.
Shah, M. B., Elliot, D. S. and Gilbody, H. B.: 1987, ‘Pulsed Cross-Beam Study of the Ionisation of Atomic Hydrogen by Electron Impact’, J. Phys. B. 20, 3501.
Slavin, J. A. and Holzer, R. E.: 1982, ‘The Solar Wind Interaction with Mars Revisited’, J. Geophys. Res. 87, 10285.
Song, P., Russell, C. T., Fitzenreiter, R. J., Gosling, J. T., Thomsen, M. F., Mitchell, D. G., Fuselier, S. A., Parks, G. K., Anderson, R. R., Hubert, D.: 1993, D.: 1993, ‘Structure and Properties of the Subsolar Magnetopause for Northward Interplanetary Magnetic Field - Multiple-instrument Particle Observations’, J. Geophys. res. 98, 11319.
Sonnerup, B. U. Ö and Cahill Jr., L. J.: 1967, ‘Magnetopause Structure and Attitude from Explorer 12 Observations’, J. Geophys. Res. 72, 171.
Spreiter, J. R., Summers, A. L. and Alksne, A. Y.: 1966, ‘Hydromagnetic Flow around the Magnetosphere’, Planetary Space Sci. 14, 223.
Thompson, W. R., Shah, M. B. and Gilbody, H. B.: 1995, ‘Single and Double Ionization of Atomic Oxygen by Electron Impact’, J. Phys. B28, 1321.
Trotignon, J. G., Dubinin, E., Grard, R., Barabash, S. and Lundin, R.: 1996, ‘Martian Planetopause as Seen by the Plasma Wave System Onboard Phobos 2’, J. Geophys. Res. 101, 24965.
Tsurutani, B. T., Smith, E. J., Anderson, R. R., Ogilvie, K. W., Scudder, J. D., Baker, D. N. and Bame, S. J.: 1982, ‘Lion Roars and Nonoscillatory Drift Mirror Waves in the Magnetosheath’, J. Geophys. Res. 87, 6060.
Vignes, D., Mazelle, C., Rème, H., Acuña, M. H., Connerney, J..E. P., Lin, R. P., Mitchell, D. L., Cloutier, P., Crider, D. H. and Ness, N. F.: 2000, ‘The Solar Wind Interaction with Mars: Locations and Shapes of the Bow Shock and the Magnetic Pile-up Boundary from the Observations of the MAG/ER Experiment Onboard Mars Global Surveyor’, Geophys. Res. Lett. 27, 49.
Zwan, B. J. and Wolf, R. A.: 1976, ‘Depletion of Solar Wind Plasma Near a Planetary Boundary’, J. Geophys. Res. 81, 1636.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2004 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Øieroset, M., Mitchell, D.L., Phan, T.D., Lin, R.P., Crider, D.H., Acuña, M.H. (2004). The Magnetic Field Pile-Up and Density Depletion in the Martian Magnetosheath: A Comparison with the Plasma Depletion Layer Upstream of the Earth’s Magnetopause. In: Winterhalter, D., Acuña, M., Zakharov, A. (eds) Mars’ Magnetism and Its Interaction with the Solar Wind. Space Sciences Series of ISSI, vol 18. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-306-48604-3_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-306-48604-3_4
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-6582-7
Online ISBN: 978-0-306-48604-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive