Infrared Signature of Meteoritic Material in the Martian Atmosphere from MGS/TES Limb Observations

Details Infrared Signature of Meteoritic Material in the Martian Atmosphere from MGS/TES Limb Observations Infrared Signature of Meteoritic Material in the Martian Atmosphere from MGS/TES Limb Observations

Sep 2006

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006dps....38.6023m&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #38, #60.23; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 38, p.601

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

We have previously identified the ion Mg+·CO2 as a constituent of the Martian ionosphere. Numerous Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer infrared limb spectra were analyzed through a complete Martian year. Two infrared spectral features, the first near 26 μm and the second near 23 μm, were identified as due to Mg+·CO2. This ion originates as the result of ablation of meteoritic material in the Martian atmosphere in the altitude range 80-120 km. Neutral magnesium is one of the metals deposited in the atmosphere during meteoritic ablation. The ambient ions O2+ and CO2+ charge exchange with neutral magnesium to produce the atomic ion Mg+. The Mg+ reacts with the principal atmospheric constituent CO2 via the reaction Mg+ + CO2 + CO2 ◊ Mg+·CO2 + CO2. A radiance index, made by differencing the 26 μm central intensity from the continuum interpolated between edges of the feature, is plotted vs. latitude and altitude for Ls=85. For this season, the index is asymmetric about the equator, higher values extending to higher altitude ( 80-120 km) in the southern hemisphere than in the northern hemisphere ( 60-100 km). The global and temporal distributions of this cluster are shown as well as the altitude distribution of its column abundance.
Funding for this research is provided in part by NASA's Mars Data Analysis Program.

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