AI Article Synopsis
- * When the angle between the solar wind’s velocity and its magnetic field is small, Mars experiences a unique induced magnetosphere that causes no shock on the day side and only weak shocks on the sides.
- * Recent hybrid simulations with a small cone angle align with findings from Mars exploration missions, indicating that these complex induced magnetospheres could play a significant role in atmospheric loss, an area that needs further investigation.
Article Abstract
The interaction between planets and stellar winds can lead to atmospheric loss and is, thus, important for the evolution of planetary atmospheres. The planets in our Solar System typically interact with the solar wind, whose velocity is at a large angle to the embedded stellar magnetic field. For planets without an intrinsic magnetic field, this interaction creates an induced magnetosphere and a bow shock in front of the planet. However, when the angle between the solar wind velocity and the solar wind magnetic field (cone angle) is small, the interaction is very different. Here we show that when the cone angle is small at Mars, the induced magnetosphere degenerates. There is no shock on the dayside, only weak flank shocks. A cross-flow plume appears and the ambipolar field drives planetary ions upstream. Hybrid simulations with a 4° cone angle show agreement with observations by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission and Mars Express. Degenerate, induced magnetospheres are complex and not yet explored objects. It remains to be studied what the secondary effects are on processes like atmospheric loss through ion escape.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11446820 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07959-z | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Physical oceanographic factors controlling the ocean circulation-induced magnetic field.
Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci
December 2024
University of Texas at Austin, Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, Austin, TX, USA.
Oceanic tidal constituents and depth-integrated electrical conductivity (ocean conductivity content, or OCC) extracted from electromagnetic (EM) field data are known to have a strong potential for monitoring ocean heat content, which reflects the Earth's energy imbalance. In comparison to ocean tide models, realistic ocean general circulation models have a greater need to be baroclinic; therefore, both OCC and depth-integrated conductivity-weighted velocity ([Formula: see text]) data are required to calculate the ocean circulation-induced magnetic field (OCIMF). Owing to a lack of [Formula: see text] observations, we calculate the OCIMF using an ocean state estimate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSatellite monitoring of long period ocean-induced magnetic field variations.
Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci
December 2024
Department of Space Research and Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark.
Satellite magnetic field observations have the potential to provide valuable information on dynamics, heat content and salinity throughout the ocean. Here, we present the expected spatio-temporal characteristics of the ocean-induced magnetic field (OIMF) at satellite altitude on periods of months to decades. We compare these to the characteristics of other sources of Earth's magnetic field, and discuss whether it is feasible for the OIMF to be retrieved and routinely monitored from space.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe weakly ionized plasma in the Earth's ionosphere is controlled by a complex interplay between solar and magnetospheric inputs from above, atmospheric processes from below, and plasma electrodynamics from within. This interaction results in ionosphere structuring and variability that pose major challenges for accurate ionosphere prediction for global navigation satellite system (GNSS) related applications and space weather research. The ionospheric structuring and variability are often probed using the total electron content (TEC) and its relative perturbations (dTEC).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMetabolic stress in space: ROS-induced mutations in mice hint at a new path to cancer.
Redox Biol
December 2024
Stanford University, School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
Long-duration spaceflight beyond Earth's magnetosphere poses serious health risks, including muscle atrophy, bone loss, liver and kidney damage, and the Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS). RNA-seq of mice aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for 37 days revealed extraordinary hypermutation in tissue-specific genes, with guanine base conversion predominating, potentially contributing to spaceflight-associated health risks. Our results suggest that the genome-wide accelerated mutation that we measured, seemingly independent of radiation dose, was induced by oxidative damage from higher atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO) levels and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) on the ISS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDistributed network of optically pumped magnetometers for space weather monitoring.
Sci Rep
November 2024
Department of Physics, SUPA, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G4 0NG, UK.
Spatial variation in the intensity of magnetospheric and ionospheric fluctuations during solar storms creates ground-induced currents, of importance in both infrastructure engineering and geophysical science. This activity is presently measured using a network of ground-based magnetometers, typically consisting of extensive installations at established observatory sites. We show that this network can be enhanced by the addition of remote quantum magnetometers which combine high sensitivity with intrinsic calibration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!