Field‐Aligned Potentials at Mars From MAVEN Observations

One possible ion escape channel at Mars is a polar wind‐like outflow driven by parallel electric fields and/or other acceleration mechanisms. With independent potential estimates from ionospheric photoelectron measurements by the Solar Wind Electron Analyzer (SWEA) and ion measurements by the SupraT...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2018-10, Vol.45 (19), p.10,119-10,127
Main Authors: Xu, Shaosui, Mitchell, David L., McFadden, James P., Collinson, Glyn, Harada, Yuki, Lillis, Robert, Mazelle, Christian, Connerney, J. E. P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alignment
ambipolar electric fields
Atmosphere
Atmospheric evolution
Charged particles
Composition
Electric field
Electric fields
Electromagnetic forces
Electrons
Escape velocity
Evolution
Forces (mechanics)
ion escape
Ions
Magnetic field
Magnetic fields
Mars
Mars atmosphere
Mars missions
Mars spacecraft
Mathematical analysis
MAVEN
Neutral particles
Outflow
Particle physics
Photoelectrons
Planetary magnetic fields
Polar wind
Sciences of the Universe
Solar wind
Spacecraft
Statistical analysis
Statistical methods
Water outflow
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Summary:One possible ion escape channel at Mars is a polar wind‐like outflow driven by parallel electric fields and/or other acceleration mechanisms. With independent potential estimates from ionospheric photoelectron measurements by the Solar Wind Electron Analyzer (SWEA) and ion measurements by the SupraThermal And Thermal Ion Composition (STATIC) onboard the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft, magnetic field‐aligned potentials are calculated as the difference of the two. The calculated field‐aligned potentials have average values that range from 0 to −1.5 V, relative to the ionospheric source region. These field‐aligned potentials likely result from ambipolar electric fields and are found on both closed and open field lines. On the dayside, these potentials range from 0 to −0.7 V, corresponding to an electric field magnitude
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1029/2018GL080136