Model comparison of oxygen ion loss at Mars

Details Model comparison of oxygen ion loss at Mars Model comparison of oxygen ion loss at Mars

Dec 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufmsa13a1872c&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #SA13A-1872

Physics

[0325] Atmospheric Composition And Structure / Evolution Of The Atmosphere, [0343] Atmospheric Composition And Structure / Planetary Atmospheres, [2780] Magnetospheric Physics / Solar Wind Interactions With Unmagnetized Bodies, [6225] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Mars

Scientific paper

We present results from a Mars pick-up ion transport model in order to study the relative role of kinetic processes in planetary ion escape, as part of the first community-wide plasma interaction model comparison. Mars does not have a strong, intrinsic dipole magnetic field and consequently the solar wind directly interacts with the dayside upper atmosphere causing particles to be stripped away from the atmosphere. Ions can be picked up and carried away through this interaction, contributing to non-thermal atmospheric escape. A robust effort involving many of the global Mars space environment models is underway, selecting identical initial and boundary conditions for direct model-model comparisons between the codes. A multi-fluid and multi-species MHD model from this comparison will be used as background electric and magnetic fields for the ions in our Mars pick-up ion transport model. By simulating billions of test particles through these background fields, a comprehensive picture of the velocity space distributions of the pick-up ions is generated. Previous model comparisons have focused on pressure conservation and plasma boundaries, but this study will focus on comparing spatial patterns of escape rates and velocity space distributions at specific locations for the kinetic versus Maxwellian approaches. From these comparisons, conclusions are made about the relative contribution of kinetic and fluid physical processes in controlling the distribution of planetary ions and atmospheric escape.

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