Martian oxygen density at the exobase deduced from O I 130.4-nm observations by Spectroscopy for the Investigation of the Characteristics of the Atmosphere of Mars on Mars Express

Details Martian oxygen density at the exobase deduced from O I 130.4-nm observations by Spectroscopy for the Investigation of the Characteristics of the Atmosphere of Mars on Mars Express Martian oxygen density at the exobase deduced from O I 130.4-nm observations by Spectroscopy for the Investigation of the Characteristics of the Atmosphere of Mars on Mars Express

Feb 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009jgre..11402006c&link_type=abstract

Journal of Geophysical Research, Volume 114, Issue E2, CiteID E02006

Physics

9

Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Atmospheres (0343, 1060), Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Aurorae And Airglow, Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects: Mars

Scientific paper

Several observations of the O I 130.4-nm triplet have been analyzed to determine the oxygen density in the Martian upper atmosphere using a three-dimensional Monte Carlo radiative transfer model describing each line of the triplet. Solar resonant scattering is the dominant source of excitation of the O I 130.4-nm triplet in the upper atmosphere of Mars. The atomic oxygen density at the exobase is found to be 1.2-0.5 +1.2 × 107 cm-3 for solar zenith angles between 20° and 55° and to decrease by a factor of 2 for solar zenith angles between 55° and 90°. Although the major contribution to the observed brightness is produced above the exobase, it is possible to extrapolate the density profile below the exobase and to estimate the [O]/[CO2] mixing ratio as 0.6-1.2% at 135 km. The major source of uncertainty comes from the uncertainty in the absolute calibration, as expected for an optically thick emission, and also, to a lesser degree, from the temperature at the exobase. The profiles are better reproduced by a large exospheric temperature (>300 K), which may suggest the presence of a hot oxygen population.

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