Observations of equatorial plasma bubbles during the geomagnetic storm of October 2016

We investigated the variations of equatorial plasma bubbles(EPBs)in the East-Asian sector during a strong geomagnetic storm in October 2016,based on observations from the Beidou geostationary(GEO)satellites,Swarm satellite and ground-based ionosonde.Significant nighttime depletions of F region in situ electron density from Swarm and obvious nighttime EPBs in the Beidou GEO observations were observed on 13 October 2016 during the main phase.Moreover,one interesting feature is that the rare and unique sunrise EPBs were triggered on 14 October 2016 in the main phase rather than during the recovery phase as reported by previous studies.In addition,the nighttime EPBs were suppressed during the whole recovery phase,and absent from 14 to 19 October 2016.Meanwhile,the minimum virtual height of F trace(h’F)at Sanya(18.3°N,109.6°E,MLAT 11.1°N)displayed obvious changes during these intervals.The h’F was enhanced in the main phase and declined during the recovery phase,compared with the values at pre-and post-storm.These results indicate that the enhanced nighttime EPBs and sunrise EPBs during the main phase and the absence nighttime EPBs for many days during the recovery phase could be associated with storm-time electric field changes.

Photoelectron pitch angle distribution near Mars and implications on cross terminator magnetic field connectivity

The photoelectron peak at 22 27 eV, a distinctive feature of the energetic electron distribution in the dayside Martian ionosphere, is a useful diagnostic of solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and X-ray ionization as well as of large-scale transport along magnetic field lines. In this work, we analyze the pitch angle distribution (PAD) of energetic electrons at 22 27 eV measured during several representative Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) orbits, based on the electron spectra gathered by MAVEN’s Solar Wind Electron Analyzer (SWEA) instrument. On the dayside, most photoelectron spectra show an isotropic PAD as is expected from production via solar EUV/X-ray ionization. The photoelectron spectra occasionally observed on the nightside show instead a strongly anisotropic PAD, indicative of cross-terminator transport along ambient magnetic field lines. This would in turn predict the presence of dayside photoelectrons, also with a strongly anisotropic PAD, which was indeed revealed in SWEA data. Comparison with magnetic field measurements made by the MAVEN Magnetometer suggests that on average the photoelectrons with anisotropic PAD stream away from Mars on the dayside and towards Mars on the nightside, further supporting the scenario of day-to-night transport. On both sides, anisotropic photoelectrons tend to be observed above the photoelectron exobase at ~160 km where photoelectron transport dominates over local production and energy degradation.

A MAVEN investigation of O++ in the dayside Martian ionosphere

O^++ is an interesting species in the ionospheres of both the Earth and Venus. Recent measurements made by the Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS) on board the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft provide the first firm detection of O^++ in the Martian ionosphere. This study is devoted to an evaluation of the dominant O^++ production and destruction channels in the dayside Martian ionosphere, by virtue of NGIMS data accumulated over a large number of MAVEN orbits. Our analysis reveals the dominant production channels to be double photoionization of O at low altitudes and photoionization of O^+ at high altitudes, respectively, in response to the varying degree of O ionization. O^++ destruction is shown to occur mainly via charge exchange with CO2 at low altitudes and with O at high altitudes. In the dayside median sense, an exact balance between O^++ production and destruction is suggested by the data below 200 km. The apparent discrepancy from local photochemical equilibrium at higher altitudes is interpreted as a signature of strong O^++ escape on Mars, characterized by an escape rate of 6×10^22s^-1.

Solar control of CO2^+ultraviolet doublet emission on Mars

The CO2^+;ultraviolet doublet(UVD)emission near 289 nm is an important feature of dayside airglow emission from planetaryupper atmospheres.In this study,we analyzed the brightness profiles of CO2^+;UVDemission on Mars by using the extensive observationsmade by the lmaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph on board the recent Mars Atmosphere and Volatle Evolution spacecraft.Strong solar cycleand solar zenith angle variations in peak emission intensity and altitude were revealed by the data:(1)Both the peak intensity and altitude increase with increasing solar activity,and(2)the peak intensity decreases,whereas the peak altitude increases,with increasingsolar zenith angle.These observations can be favorably interpreted by the solar-driven scenario combined with the fact that photoionization and photoelectron impact ionization are the two most important processes responsible for the production of excited-state cotand consequently the intensity of CO2^+;UVDemission.Despite this,we propose that an extra driver,presumably related to thecomplicated variation in the background atmosphere,such as the occurrence of globaldust storms is required to fuly interpret theobservations.In general,our analysis suggests that the CO2^+;UVD emission is a useful diagnostic of the variability of the dayside Martianatmosphere under the influences of both internal and external drivers.

A general climatology of categorized Martian ionospheric irregularities

A climatological survey of Martian ionospheric plasma density irregularities was conducted by exploring the in-situ measurements of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN(MAVEN) spacecraft. The irregularities were first classified as enhancement, depletion, and oscillation. By checking the simultaneous magnetic field fluctuation, the irregularities have been classified into two types: with or without magnetic signatures. The classified irregularities exhibit diverse global occurrence patterns, as those with magnetic signatures tend to appear near the periphery of the crustal magnetic anomaly(MA), and those without magnetic signatures prefer to appear either inside of the MA or outside of the MA, depending on the type and solar zenith angle. Under most circumstances, the irregularities have a considerable occurrence rate at altitudes above the ionospheric dynamo height(above 200 km), and the magnetization state of the ions seems irrelevant to their occurrence. In addition, the irregularities do not show dependence on magnetic field geometry, except that the enhancement without magnetic signatures favors the vertical field line, implying its equivalence to the localized bulge. Other similarities and discrepancies exist in reference to previous studies. We believe this global survey complements previous research and provides crucial research clues for future efforts to clarify the nature of the Martian ionospheric irregularities.