Study of Hot Atomic Oxygen in Mars' Upper Thermosphere and Exosphere Using Different Scattering Collision Approximations

Details Study of Hot Atomic Oxygen in Mars' Upper Thermosphere and Exosphere Using Different Scattering Collision Approximations Study of Hot Atomic Oxygen in Mars' Upper Thermosphere and Exosphere Using Different Scattering Collision Approximations

Dec 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufm.p23e..03l&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #P23E-03

Other

[2459] Ionosphere / Planetary Ionospheres, [5435] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Ionospheres, [6225] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Mars, [3325] Atmospheric Processes / Monte Carlo Technique

Scientific paper

The production of energetic particles results in the formation of hot atom coronas on the Martian atmosphere. Being the most important reaction for the exosphere on Mars, dissociative recombination (DR) of O2+ ion is the dominant source of the production of hot atomic oxygen, which occurs mostly deep in the dayside thermosphere of Mars. As noted by Krestyanikova and Shematovitch [2005], the collision cross sections are critical parameters. The two different assumptions for scattering collision cross sections are: (1) considering total cross section and scattering collisions as elastic hard sphere encounters [Nagy et al. 1981], and (2) using the distribution of scattering angles in the center-of-mass frame. In this study, the DR of O2+ is assumed to be the only source of hot oxygen in the Martian thermosphere. The total and differential cross sections are obtained separately to calculate the hot oxygen fluxes from Martian upper atmosphere. The two different approximations for the O + O collision cross section are compared to study how they affect the calculation of hot oxygen escape fluxes. One assumes a single total cross section and hard sphere scattering. The other uses the scattering angle dependent differential scattering cross section of Kharchencko et al. [2000]. To describe self-consistently the exosphere and the upper thermosphere, a combination of our 3D Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) model [Valeille, A., Combi, M., Bougher, S., Tenishev, V., Nagy, A., 2009. J. Geophys. Res. 114, E11006. doi:10.1029/2009JE003389] and the 3D Mars Thermosphere General Circulation Model (MTGCM) [Bougher, S., Bell, J., Murphy, J., Lopez-Valverde, M., Withers, P., 2006. Geophys. Res. Lett. 32, doi: 10.1029/2005GL024059. L02203] is used. Profiles of density and temperature, atmospheric loss rates and return fluxes as functions of the Solar Zenith Angle (SZA) are studied using the model for the cases considered. Comparisons of DSMC model outputs will be made with those from other recent exosphere model studies.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Study of Hot Atomic Oxygen in Mars' Upper Thermosphere and Exosphere Using Different Scattering Collision Approximations does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Study of Hot Atomic Oxygen in Mars' Upper Thermosphere and Exosphere Using Different Scattering Collision Approximations, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Study of Hot Atomic Oxygen in Mars' Upper Thermosphere and Exosphere Using Different Scattering Collision Approximations will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-870001