MAVEN insights into oxygen pickup ions at Mars

A. Rahmati; D. E. Larson; T. E. Cravens; R. J. Lillis; P. A. Dunn; J. S. Halekas; J. E. Connerney; F. G. Eparvier; E. M. B. Thiemann; B. M. Jakosky

doi:10.1002/2015GL065262

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MAVEN insights into oxygen pickup ions at Mars

Journal article

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MAVEN insights into oxygen pickup ions at Mars

A. Rahmati, D. E. Larson, T. E. Cravens, R. J. Lillis, P. A. Dunn, J. S. Halekas, J. E. Connerney, F. G. Eparvier, E. M. B. Thiemann and B. M. Jakosky

Geophysical research letters, Vol.42(21), pp.8870-8876

11/16/2015

DOI: 10.1002/2015GL065262

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Abstract

Since Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN)'s arrival at Mars on 21 September 2014, the SEP (Solar Energetic Particle) instrument on board the MAVEN spacecraft has been detecting oxygen pickup ions with energies of a few tens of keV up to similar to 200 keV. These ions are created in the distant upstream part of the hot atomic oxygen exosphere of Mars, via photoionization, charge exchange with solar wind protons, and electron impact. Once ionized, atomic oxygen ions are picked up by the solar wind and accelerated downstream, reaching energies high enough for SEP to detect them. We model the flux of oxygen pickup ions observed by MAVEN SEP in the undisturbed upstream solar wind and compare our results with SEP's measurements. Model-data comparisons of SEP fluxes confirm that pickup oxygen associated with the Martian exospheric hot oxygen is indeed responsible for the MAVEN SEP observations.

Geology

Geosciences, Multidisciplinary

Physical Sciences

Science & Technology

Details

Title: Subtitle: MAVEN insights into oxygen pickup ions at Mars
Creators: A. Rahmati - University of Kansas
D. E. Larson - University of California, Berkeley
T. E. Cravens - University of Kansas
R. J. Lillis - University of California, Berkeley
P. A. Dunn - University of California, Berkeley
J. S. Halekas - University of Iowa
J. E. Connerney - Goddard Space Flight Center
F. G. Eparvier - Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
E. M. B. Thiemann - Univ Colorado, Lab Atmospher & Space Phys, Boulder, CO 80309 USA
B. M. Jakosky - University of Colorado Boulder
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Geophysical research letters, Vol.42(21), pp.8870-8876
DOI: 10.1002/2015GL065262
ISSN: 0094-8276
eISSN: 1944-8007
Publisher: Amer Geophysical Union
Number of pages: 7
Grant note: NASA through the Mars Exploration Program NNH10CC04C / NASA; National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)
Language: English
Date published: 11/16/2015
Academic Unit: Physics and Astronomy
Record Identifier: 9984429032702771

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