Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006agufm.p23d0088a&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2006, abstract #P23D-0088
Physics
2459 Planetary Ionospheres (5435, 5729, 6026), 5435 Ionospheres (2459), 6225 Mars, 7867 Wave/Particle Interactions (2483, 6984)
Scientific paper
Our current understanding of Mars' atmospheric loss is incomplete. A number of hypotheses have been put forth including surface chemical processes, photochemical processes, bombardment, and solar wind stripping. Many of these hypotheses are viable, but none have emerged as clearly dominant. Observational evidence, simulations, and studies, however, suggest that oxygen ion escape from the ionosphere into the solar wind may be a significant contributor to the oxygen loss. O+ loss has been well studied but the effects of plasma wave heating have not been considered fully. The presented idea in this study is that by solar forcing the solar wind drives turbulence close to the Mars atmosphere resulting in ion cyclotron waves heats the oxygen ions. Based on this has a hybrid code been develop for the area between the exobase and the ionopause to evaluate the role wave heating can have on the ion outflow. The results shows that the observed Viking temperatures can be reproduced when wave heating is introduced to the code. With the amount of wave heating that reproduce the Viking temperatures the oxygen ion loss rate is equal to the observed loss rate by satellites. If the wave power in the simulation is increased the loss rate can match the expected loss rate explain the loss of 10 m of water over 4 Gyr. The conclusion is therefore, that wave heating might play an important role at Mars, however due to the lack of appropriate observations it's role can not be verified or declined until the right measurements are made at Mars.
Andersson L.-L.
Ergun Robert E.
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