Journal article
The magnetic field draping direction at Mars from April 1999 through August 2004
Icarus (New York, N.Y. 1962), Vol.182(2), pp.464-473
2006
DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2005.09.023
Abstract
Using more than five years of data from the magnetometer and electron reflectometer (MAG/ER) on Mars Global Surveyor (MGS), we derive the draping direction of the magnetic field above a given latitude band in the northern hemisphere. The draping direction varies on timescales associated with the orbital period of Mars and with the solar rotation period. We find that there is a strongly preferred draping direction when Mars is in one solar wind sector, but the opposite direction is not preferred as strongly for the other solar wind sector. This asymmetry occurs at or below the magnetic pileup boundary (MPB), is observed preferentially on field lines that connect to the collisional ionosphere, and is independent of planetary longitude. The observations could be explained by a hemispherical asymmetry in the access of field lines to the low-altitude ionosphere, or possibly from global modification of the low-altitude solar wind interaction by crustal magnetic fields. We show that the draping direction affects both the penetration of sheath plasma to 400 km altitudes on the martian dayside and the radial component of the magnetic field on the planetary night side.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The magnetic field draping direction at Mars from April 1999 through August 2004
- Creators
- David A Brain - Space Sciences LaboratoryDavid L Mitchell - Space Sciences LaboratoryJasper S Halekas - Space Sciences Laboratory
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Icarus (New York, N.Y. 1962), Vol.182(2), pp.464-473
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.icarus.2005.09.023
- ISSN
- 0019-1035
- eISSN
- 1090-2643
- Grant note
- DOI: 10.13039/100000104, name: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, award: NNG04GL35G-05/06
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 2006
- Academic Unit
- Physics and Astronomy
- Record Identifier
- 9984199770202771
Metrics
7 Record Views