Computer Science – Sound
Scientific paper
Dec 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufm.p23a1621n&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #P23A-1621
Computer Science
Sound
[5435] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Ionospheres
Scientific paper
Observations of the nightside ionosphere of Mars performed by the MARSIS instrument are presented. MARSIS is an instrument designed for the topside ionospheric sounding placed on board the Mars Express spacecraft. Electron densities in the nightside ionosphere of Mars are usually too low to be detected by the instrument. However, in about 10 percent of measurements the ionospheric peak electron density is large enough to be determined. More than 4 years of data are used to analyze the dependence on solar zenith angle (SZA) and crustal magnetic fields. The relative importance of plasma transport and impact ionization by precipitating electrons is discussed. It is shown that at locations with weak crustal magnetic fields the detection rate of the nightside ionosphere decreases with increasing SZA up to about 125 degrees, suggesting that plasma transport from the dayside plays a crucial role in its formation. However, at locations with strong crustal magnetic fields, the dependence on SZA disappears and the inclination of magnetic field becomes a crucial parameter - locations with nearly vertical magnetic fields are much more favorable for the ionospheric formation. This indicates that impact ionization by precipitating electrons is the main ionization source at these locations.
Duru Firdevs
Gurnett Donald A.
Morgan Daniel
Němec Frantisek
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