Bidirectional electron conic observations for photoelectrons in the Martian ionosphere

Electron pitch angle distributions similar to bidirectional electron conics(BECs)have been reported at Mars in previous studies based on analyses of Mars Global Surveyor measurements.BEC distribution,also termed“butterfly”distribution,presents a local minimum flux at 90°and a maximum flux before reaching the local loss cone.Previous studies have focused on 115 eV electrons that were produced mainly via solar wind electron impact ionization.Here using Solar Wind Electron Analyzer measurements made onboard the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft,we identify 513 BEC events for 19-55 eV photoelectrons that were generated via photoionization only.Therefore,we are investigating electrons observed in regions well away from their source regions,to be distinguished from 115 eV electrons observed and produced in the same regions.We investigate the spatial distribution of the 19-55 eV BECs,revealing that they are more likely observed on the nightside as well as near strong crustal magnetic anomalies.We propose that the 19-55 eV photoelectron BECs are formed due to day-to-night transport and the magnetic mirror effect of photoelectrons moving along cross-terminator closed magnetic field lines.

Observation of CO2^++ dication in the dayside Martian upper atmosphere

Doubly charged positive ions(dications)are an important component of planetary ionospheres because of the large energy required for their formation.Observations of these ions are exceptionally difficult due to their low abundances;until now,only atomic dications have been detected.The Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer(NGIMS)measurements made on board the recent Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission provide the first opportunity for decisive detection of molecular dications,CO2^++in this case,in a planetary upper atmosphere.The NGIMS data reveal a dayside averaged CO2^++distribution declining steadily from 5.6 cm^−3 at 160 km to below 1 cm^−3 above 200 km.The dominant CO2^++production mechanisms are double photoionization of CO2 below 190 km and single photoionization of CO2^+at higher altitudes;CO2++destruction is dominated by natural dissociation,but reactions with atmospheric CO2 and O become important below 160 km.Simplified photochemical model calculations are carried out and reasonably reproduce the data at low altitudes within a factor of 2 but underestimate the data at high altitudes by a factor of 4.Finally,we report a much stronger solar control of the CO2^++density than of the CO2+density.

Modeling of kilometer-scale ionospheric irregularities at Mars

Recently, kilometer-scale Martian ionospheric irregularities have been measured by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN(MAVEN) mission(Fowler et al., 2020). In this study, we carried out a simulation of these irregularities, assuming a uniform Martian zonal neutral wind and a cosinusoidal perturbation of the plasma density as the seeding source. Results show that a vertical electric field shear could be induced by such a plasma density perturbation. We find that the vertical electric field shear causes a velocity shear of the plasma between the topside and bottomside ionosphere, which in turn is able to produce kilometer-scale ionospheric irregularities — irregularities of a smaller scale than were seen in previous simulations(Jiang CH et al., 2021). These kilometer-scale variations with altitude, in plasma density and magnetic field profiles, are comparable to the MAVEN observations.