The transient topside layer and associated current sheet in the ionosphere of Mars

Andrew J Kopf; Donald A Gurnett; Gina A DiBraccio; David D Morgan; Jasper S Halekas

doi:10.1002/2016JA023591

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The transient topside layer and associated current sheet in the ionosphere of Mars

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The transient topside layer and associated current sheet in the ionosphere of Mars

Andrew J Kopf, Donald A Gurnett, Gina A DiBraccio, David D Morgan and Jasper S Halekas

Journal of geophysical research. Space physics, Vol.122(5), pp.5579-5590

05/2017

DOI: 10.1002/2016JA023591

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Abstract

Radar soundings from the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) instrument on board the Mars Express spacecraft have shown that transient layers exist in the dayside upper ionosphere of Mars. The most prominent of these features is a second layer at an altitude near 200 km, well above that of the main photoionization layer. While the general properties of this layer have been studied previously, the inner workings of this layer, and the mechanisms that drive it, are only now becoming clear. With the addition of solar wind, particle, and magnetic field instruments carried by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft, a more detailed analysis has now been completed. Results show the existence of local current sheets in the upper Martian ionosphere in conjunction with the appearance of the second layer. These currents reveal an important magnetic aspect to the transient layer and point to a variety of possible explanations for its formation, including the Kelvin‐Helmholtz instability, magnetic flux ropes, x‐type magnetic reconnection, and solar wind magnetic field rotations. Key Points MAVEN has observed a transient peak in the Mars ionospheric density profile at an altitude near 200 km The second topside density peak is well correlated with the upper ionospheric layer discovered and described by previous studies A current sheet associated with the second layer has been discovered

currents

ionosphere

layer

Mars

MARSIS

MAVEN

Details

Title: Subtitle: The transient topside layer and associated current sheet in the ionosphere of Mars
Creators: Andrew J Kopf - University of Iowa
Donald A Gurnett - University of Iowa
Gina A DiBraccio - Goddard Space Flight Center
David D Morgan - University of Iowa
Jasper S Halekas - University of Iowa
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of geophysical research. Space physics, Vol.122(5), pp.5579-5590
DOI: 10.1002/2016JA023591
ISSN: 2169-9380
eISSN: 2169-9402
Number of pages: 12
Grant note: NASA | Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) (1224107) Universities Space Research Association NASA (1224107)
Language: English
Date published: 05/2017
Academic Unit: Physics and Astronomy
Record Identifier: 9984199777402771

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