Patchy Proton Aurora at Mars: A Global View of Solar Wind Precipitation Across the Martian Dayside From EMM/EMUS

Autor: Michael S. Chaffin, Christopher M. Fowler, Justin Deighan, Sonal Jain, Greg Holsclaw, Andréa Hughes, Robin Ramstad, Yaxue Dong, Dave Brain, Hoor AlMazmi, Krishnaprasad Chirakkil, John Correira, Scott England, J. Scott Evans, Matt Fillingim, Rob Lillis, Fatma Lootah, Susarla Raghuram, Jim McFadden, Jasper Halekas, Jared Espley, Nick Schneider, Majd Mayyasi, Christina O. Lee, Shannon Curry, Hessa AlMatroushi
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Geophysical Research Letters, Vol 49, Iss 17, Pp n/a-n/a (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1944-8007
0094-8276
DOI: 10.1029/2022GL099881
Popis: Abstract Proton aurora at Mars are thought to form indirectly, as a result of solar wind proton charge exchange with planetary coronal hydrogen upstream of the bow shock. This charge exchange produces beamed energetic neutral atoms that bypass the induced magnetosphere and cause spatially uniform auroral emission when they collide with the thermosphere. Here we report multiple definitive observations of spatially localized “patchy” proton aurora at Mars using the Emirates Mars Ultraviolet Spectrometer on the Emirates Mars Mission, and characterize the plasma environment during these events using contemporaneous Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN mission measurements. Multiple mechanisms are required to explain these observations, including at times the direct deposition of solar wind plasma into the thermosphere, particularly during radial interplanetary magnetic field conditions. Much future work will be needed to assess these mechanisms and understand the impact of these auroral events on Mars atmospheric evolution.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
Externí odkaz: