Detection of magnetospheric ion drift patterns at Mars.
Journal
Nature communications
ISSN: 2041-1723
Titre abrégé: Nat Commun
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101528555
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
27 Oct 2023
27 Oct 2023
Historique:
received:
11
07
2023
accepted:
13
10
2023
medline:
28
10
2023
pubmed:
28
10
2023
entrez:
27
10
2023
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Mars lacks a global magnetic field, and instead possesses small-scale crustal magnetic fields, making its magnetic environment fundamentally different from intrinsic magnetospheres like those of Earth or Saturn. Here we report the discovery of magnetospheric ion drift patterns, typical of intrinsic magnetospheres, at Mars using measurements from Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN mission. Specifically, we observe wedge-like dispersion structures of hydrogen ions exhibiting butterfly-shaped distributions (pitch angle peaks at 22.5°-45° and 135°-157.5°) within the Martian crustal fields, a feature previously observed only in planetary-scale intrinsic magnetospheres. These dispersed structures are the results of drift motions that fundamentally resemble those observed in intrinsic magnetospheres. Our findings indicate that the Martian magnetosphere embodies an intermediate case where both the unmagnetized and magnetized ion behaviors could be observed because of the wide range of strengths and spatial scales of the crustal magnetic fields around Mars.
Identifiants
pubmed: 37891189
doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-42630-7
pii: 10.1038/s41467-023-42630-7
pmc: PMC10611764
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
6866Subventions
Organisme : National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China)
ID : 41922031, 41774188
Informations de copyright
© 2023. The Author(s).
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