Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008agufm.p11a1249v&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2008, abstract #P11A-1249
Physics
0317 Chemical Kinetic And Photochemical Properties, 0328 Exosphere, 0355 Thermosphere: Composition And Chemistry, 2423 Ionization Processes (7823), 6225 Mars
Scientific paper
The dynamics of energetic particles flowing through the Martian upper atmosphere has been studied. Most of the production of hot atomic oxygen occurs deep in the day-side thermosphere of Mars, where dissociative recombination (DR) of the O2+ ion is the dominant source. The study of an upper atmosphere is complicated by the change in the flow regime from a thermospheric collisional to an exospheric collisionless domain. To understand the Martian exosphere, it is then highly desirable to employ a global kinetic model that includes a self-consistent description of both thermospheric and exospheric regions. In this study, a combination of our 3D Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) model and the 3D Mars Thermosphere General Circulation Model (MTGCM) (Bougher et al. 2006; Tenishev et al. 2008; Valeille et al. 2008) was used to describe self-consistently the exosphere and the upper thermosphere. Along with maps of ion production by photoionization (PI), charge exchange (CE) and electron impact (EI), the DSMC model provides for the first time density and temperature profiles, return fluxes and atmospheric loss rates of suprathermal exospheric oxygen as functions of the latitude and longitude for all cases considered. To present a complete description of this physical problem, several of the most limiting cases spanning spatial and temporal domains were examined. Along with solar activity variability (solar minimum and maximum), the influences of position on the planet and of different seasons (orbital position, dust activity) are also investigated and their relative contribution to the atmospheric loss is shown to be of the same order. Support for this work comes from NASA Mars Fundamental Research grant NNG05GL80G.
Bougher Stephen W.
Combi Michael R.
Nagy Andrew F.
Tenishev Valeriy
Valeille Arnaud
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