Magnetic Field and Plasma Asymmetries Between the Martian Quasi-Perpendicular and Quasi-Parallel Magnetosheaths

Abstract

The Martian magnetosheath acts as a conduit for mass and energy transfer between the upstream solar wind and its induced magnetosphere. However, our understanding of its global properties remains limited. Using nine years of data from NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission, we performed a quantitative statistical analysis to explore the spatial distribution of the magnetic fields, solar wind and planetary ions in the magnetosheath. We discovered significant asymmetries in the magnetic field, solar wind protons, and planetary ions between the quasi-perpendicular and quasi-parallel magnetosheaths. The asymmetries in the Martian magnetosheath exhibit both similarities and differences compared to those in the Earth's and Venus' magnetosheaths. These results indicate that the Martian magnetosheath is distinctly shaped by both shock geometry and planetary ions.

arXiv comment16 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters

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• Modeling Martian Atmospheric Losses over Time: Implications for Exoplanetary Climate Evolution and Habitability
• Solar wind interaction with the Martian upper atmosphere: Roles of the cold thermosphere and hot oxygen corona
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Cited by in corpus (1)

• Revisiting Mars' Induced Magnetic Field and Clock Angle Departures under Real-Time Upstream Solar Wind Conditions