Is Solar Wind electron precipitation a source of neutral heating in the nightside Martian upper atmosphere?
Solar Wind (SW) electron precipitation is able to deposit a substantial amount of energy in the nightside Martian upper atmosphere, potentially exerting an influence on its thermal structure. This study serves as the first investigation of such an issue, with the aid of the simultaneous measurements...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Science Press
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Earth and Planetary Physics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.eppcgs.org/article/doi/10.26464/epp2021012?pageType=en |
| _version_ | 1828404032129990656 |
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| author | LongKang Dai Jun Cui DanDan Niu Hao Gu YuTian Cao XiaoShu Wu HaiRong Lai |
| author_facet | LongKang Dai Jun Cui DanDan Niu Hao Gu YuTian Cao XiaoShu Wu HaiRong Lai |
| author_sort | LongKang Dai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Solar Wind (SW) electron precipitation is able to deposit a substantial amount of energy in the nightside Martian upper atmosphere, potentially exerting an influence on its thermal structure. This study serves as the first investigation of such an issue, with the aid of the simultaneous measurements of both neutral density and energetic electron intensity made on board the recent Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft. We report that, from a statistical point of view, the existing measurements do not support a scenario of noticeable neutral heating via SW electron precipitation. However, during 3%−4% of the MAVEN orbits for which data are available, strong correlation between nightside temperature and electron intensity is observed, manifested as collocated enhancements in both parameters, as compared to the surrounding regions. In addition, our analysis also indicates that neutral heating via SW electron precipitation tends to be more effective at altitudes below 160 km for integrated electron intensities above 0.01 ergs·cm−2·s−1 over the energy range of 3−450 eV. The results reported here highlight the necessity of incorporating SW electron precipitation as a heat source in the nightside Martian upper atmosphere under extreme circumstances such as during interplanetary coronal mass ejections. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T10:28:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a1a1a48853ce4911af89ad987f14d06d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2096-3955 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T10:28:05Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Science Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Earth and Planetary Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-a1a1a48853ce4911af89ad987f14d06d2022-12-22T01:52:39ZengScience PressEarth and Planetary Physics2096-39552021-01-015111010.26464/epp2021012RA215-cuijun-F2Is Solar Wind electron precipitation a source of neutral heating in the nightside Martian upper atmosphere?LongKang Dai0Jun Cui1DanDan Niu2Hao Gu3YuTian Cao4XiaoShu Wu5HaiRong Lai6Planetary Environmental and Astrobiological Research Laboratory (PEARL), School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai Guangdong 519082, ChinaPlanetary Environmental and Astrobiological Research Laboratory (PEARL), School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai Guangdong 519082, ChinaInstitute of Space Science and Applied Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen Guangdong 518055, ChinaPlanetary Environmental and Astrobiological Research Laboratory (PEARL), School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai Guangdong 519082, ChinaPlanetary Environmental and Astrobiological Research Laboratory (PEARL), School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai Guangdong 519082, ChinaKey Laboratory of Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaPlanetary Environmental and Astrobiological Research Laboratory (PEARL), School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai Guangdong 519082, ChinaSolar Wind (SW) electron precipitation is able to deposit a substantial amount of energy in the nightside Martian upper atmosphere, potentially exerting an influence on its thermal structure. This study serves as the first investigation of such an issue, with the aid of the simultaneous measurements of both neutral density and energetic electron intensity made on board the recent Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft. We report that, from a statistical point of view, the existing measurements do not support a scenario of noticeable neutral heating via SW electron precipitation. However, during 3%−4% of the MAVEN orbits for which data are available, strong correlation between nightside temperature and electron intensity is observed, manifested as collocated enhancements in both parameters, as compared to the surrounding regions. In addition, our analysis also indicates that neutral heating via SW electron precipitation tends to be more effective at altitudes below 160 km for integrated electron intensities above 0.01 ergs·cm−2·s−1 over the energy range of 3−450 eV. The results reported here highlight the necessity of incorporating SW electron precipitation as a heat source in the nightside Martian upper atmosphere under extreme circumstances such as during interplanetary coronal mass ejections.http://www.eppcgs.org/article/doi/10.26464/epp2021012?pageType=enmarssolar windupper atmospheremaven |
| spellingShingle | LongKang Dai Jun Cui DanDan Niu Hao Gu YuTian Cao XiaoShu Wu HaiRong Lai Is Solar Wind electron precipitation a source of neutral heating in the nightside Martian upper atmosphere? Earth and Planetary Physics mars solar wind upper atmosphere maven |
| title | Is Solar Wind electron precipitation a source of neutral heating in the nightside Martian upper atmosphere? |
| title_full | Is Solar Wind electron precipitation a source of neutral heating in the nightside Martian upper atmosphere? |
| title_fullStr | Is Solar Wind electron precipitation a source of neutral heating in the nightside Martian upper atmosphere? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Is Solar Wind electron precipitation a source of neutral heating in the nightside Martian upper atmosphere? |
| title_short | Is Solar Wind electron precipitation a source of neutral heating in the nightside Martian upper atmosphere? |
| title_sort | is solar wind electron precipitation a source of neutral heating in the nightside martian upper atmosphere |
| topic | mars solar wind upper atmosphere maven |
| url | http://www.eppcgs.org/article/doi/10.26464/epp2021012?pageType=en |
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