MAVEN Observations of Ionospheric Irregularities at Mars

Abstract

Ionospheric irregularities associated with horizontal magnetic fields below 200km altitude are observed at Mars. Plasma density modulations of up to 200 are observed during such events and appear correlated with fluctuations in the magnetic field. The observed fluctuations are likely Doppler shifted and represent spatial structures at length scales of 15-20 km or less. Conditions in the Martian ionosphere below 200 km are synonymous with the terrestrial E region, where ionospheric irregularities have been extensively studied. Interestingly, the irregularities at Mars appear to be electromagnetic in nature, in contrast to the electrostatic nature of irregularities at Earth. It is currently unclear what the primary drivers of these irregularities at Mars are, and further study is needed to explain these important phenomenon within the Martian ionosphere.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 04, 2017
Accession Number
AD1114681

Entities

People

  • Joseph D. Huba

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Altitude
  • Analyzers
  • Electric Fields
  • Electron Density
  • Electrons
  • Environment
  • Frequency
  • Ionosphere
  • Low Altitude
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Mass Spectrometers
  • Measurement
  • Solar Wind
  • Space Sciences
  • Spacecraft
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Three Dimensional

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science
  • Physics

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Space Exploration and Orbital Mechanics.
  • Theoretical Analysis.