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- Title
Mars Global Surveyor Observations of Solar Wind Magnetic Field Draping Around Mars.
- Authors
Crider, Dana H.; Brain, David A.; Acuña, Mario H.; Vignes, Didier; Mazelle, Christian; Bertucci, Cesar
- Abstract
We examine the magnetic field in the martian magnetosheath due to solar wind draping. Mars Global Surveyor provided 3-D vector magnetic field measurements at a large range of altitudes, local times, and solar zenith angles as the spacecraft orbit evolved. We choose orbits with very clean signatures of draping to establish the nominal morphology of the magnetic field lines at local times of near-subsolar and near-terminator. Next, using a compilation of data from Mars Global Surveyor, we determine the average magnetic field morphology in the martian magnetosheath due to the solar wind interaction. The topology of the field is as expected from previous observations and predictions. The magnetic field magnitude peaks at low altitude and noon magnetic local time and decreases away from that point. The magnetic field has an inclination from the local horizontal of 5.6° on average in the dayside magnetosheath and 12.5° on the nightside. The inclination angle is closest to zero at noon magnetic local time and low altitude. It increases both upward and to later local times. The magnetic field in the induced magnetotail flares out from the Mars-Sun direction by 21°. Finally, we compare the observations to gasdynamic model predictions and find that the shocked solar wind flow in the martian magneto sheath can be treated as a gasdynamic flow with the magnetic pileup boundary as the inner boundary to the flow.
- Subjects
MAGNETIC fields; MARS probes; MARS (Planet); SUN; GAS dynamics; GAS flow; MECHANICAL shock
- Publication
Space Science Reviews, 2004, Vol 111, Issue 1/2, p203
- ISSN
0038-6308
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1023/B:SPAC.0000032714.66124.4e