| Details: |
"
Observations of Ionospheric Currents at Mars"
Abstract: How the solar wind interacts with a planetary object depends
upon the object's properties, such as the presence of a magnetic field
or an atmosphere. An unmagnetized object cannot stand-off the solar wind
unless it possess a substantial atmosphere. Currents can be induced in
the ionosphere which act to cancel out the external solar wind magnetic
field preventing it from reaching the surface. Here we present
observations of such induced currents in the ionosphere of Mars. During
aerobraking maneuvers, Mars Global Surveyor made several passes through
the ionosphere in the unmagnetized northern hemisphere. From the
observed changes in the local magnetic field, we calculate vertical
profiles of (predominantly) horizontal ionospheric currents. Given an
atmospheric model, we also calculate the ionospheric conductivity and
the ionospheric electric fields associated with these currents. These
results can give us insights into how external magnetic fields are
effectively screened out by induced currents and how induced
magnetospheres form around unmagnetized objects.
|