by Solar » Mon Dec 21, 2020 8:18 pm
Not sure if this were mentioned in these threads:
As solar wind ions and electrons smash into this stronger induced magnetic field near Mars, they are forced to flow apart due to their opposite electric charge. Some ions flow in one direction, some electrons in the other direction, forming electric currents that drape around from the dayside to the nightside of the planet. At the same time, solar x-rays and ultraviolet radiation constantly ionize some of the upper atmosphere on Mars, turning it into a combination of electrons and electrically charged ions that can conduct electricity. -
MAVEN Maps Electric Currents around Mars that are Fundamental to Atmospheric Loss May 25, 2020
Document is paywalled:
Induced magnetospheres form around conductive non-magnetized planetary objects (such as the ionospheres of Mars, Venus, Titan, Pluto and comets) in the electrodynamic interaction with a magnetized flowing plasma, such as the solar wind. The resulting
induced currents couple the ionosphere and the deflected plasma, thus they provide insight into the solar wind’s role in powering the heating, escape and evolution of planetary atmospheres. In contrast to the analogous current systems in intrinsic magnetospheres, which were mapped decades ago at Earth,
the current systems of induced magnetospheres are largely unexplored. Here, we use five years of magnetic field measurements from the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) orbiter to empirically map the current systems of the Martian induced magnetosphere.
We find unexpected features, in particular: coupling of the ionosphere and the bow shock, asymmetries between the north–south electric hemispheres and a twist in the near-Mars current system. The current flow pattern in the induced magnetosphere of Mars indicates a system driven by a magnetospheric convective electric field, powered by the solar wind interaction. -
The global current systems of the Martian induced magnetosphere - Robin Ramstad, David A. Brain, Yaxue Dong
et al Published: 25 May 2020
Not sure if this were mentioned in these threads:
[quote]As solar wind ions and electrons smash into this stronger induced magnetic field near Mars, they are forced to flow apart due to their opposite electric charge. Some ions flow in one direction, some electrons in the other direction, forming electric currents that drape around from the dayside to the nightside of the planet. At the same time, solar x-rays and ultraviolet radiation constantly ionize some of the upper atmosphere on Mars, turning it into a combination of electrons and electrically charged ions that can conduct electricity. - [url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/goddard/2020/mars-electric-currents]MAVEN Maps Electric Currents around Mars that are Fundamental to Atmospheric Loss[/url] May 25, 2020[/quote]
Document is paywalled:
[quote]Induced magnetospheres form around conductive non-magnetized planetary objects (such as the ionospheres of Mars, Venus, Titan, Pluto and comets) in the electrodynamic interaction with a magnetized flowing plasma, such as the solar wind. The resulting [color=#BF0000][i]induced currents couple the ionosphere and the deflected plasma[/i][/color], thus they provide insight into the solar wind’s role in powering the heating, escape and evolution of planetary atmospheres. In contrast to the analogous current systems in intrinsic magnetospheres, which were mapped decades ago at Earth, [i][color=#BF0000]the current systems of induced magnetospheres are largely unexplored[/color][/i]. Here, we use five years of magnetic field measurements from the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) orbiter to empirically map the current systems of the Martian induced magnetosphere. [i][color=#BF0000]We find unexpected features, in particular: coupling of the ionosphere and the bow shock, asymmetries between the north–south electric hemispheres and a twist in the near-Mars current system. The current flow pattern in the induced magnetosphere of Mars indicates a system driven by a magnetospheric convective electric field, powered by the solar wind interaction.[/color][/i] - [url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-020-1099-y]The global current systems of the Martian induced magnetosphere[/url] - Robin Ramstad, David A. Brain, Yaxue Dong [i]et al[/i] Published: 25 May 2020[/quote]