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AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

Keywords

  • Mars
  • aurora
  • magnetic field

Index Terms

  • Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Aurorae and airglow
  • Magnetospheric Physics: Planetary magnetospheres
  • Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Magnetospheres
  • Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets: Ionospheres

Abstract

GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 34, L24202, 5 PP., 2007
doi:10.1029/2007GL031806

Numerical modeling of the magnetic topology near Mars auroral observations

M. W. Liemohn

Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Y. Ma

Institute for Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA

A. F. Nagy

Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

J. U. Kozyra

Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

J. D. Winningham

Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA

R. A. Frahm

Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA

J. R. Sharber

Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA

S. Barabash

Swedish Institute of Physics, Kiruna, Sweden

R. Lundin

Swedish Institute of Physics, Kiruna, Sweden

Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of the Mars magnetic field topology are presented for the auroral observations reported from the Mars Express SPICAM instrument. It is found that the field lines closest to the assumed emission location are open. That is, they are connected to the interplanetary magnetic field, thus allowing access for solar wind electrons to bombard the upper atmosphere and create a auroral-like emission. The most likely population responsible for the creation of the emissions recorded by SPICAM is magnetosheath electrons. It is found that numerous closed magnetic field lines, connected to two strong crustal field regions, can straddle the terminator, leaving open the speculation that atmospheric photoelectrons could be responsible for nightside auroral-like emissions. However, for the particular case of the initially reported SPICAM auroral observations, the MHD results do not produce such terminator-crossing field lines near the emission region.

Received 29 August 2007; accepted 15 November 2007; published 22 December 2007.

Citation: Liemohn, M. W., Y. Ma, A. F. Nagy, J. U. Kozyra, J. D. Winningham, R. A. Frahm, J. R. Sharber, S. Barabash, and R. Lundin (2007), Numerical modeling of the magnetic topology near Mars auroral observations, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L24202, doi:10.1029/2007GL031806.

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