Publikace na Matematicko-fyzikální fakulta |
2023
Abstrakt
Plasma Depletion Events (PDEs) are abrupt and localized reductions in the density of ionospheric plasma occurring at Mars. In this study, we examined the in-situ electric and magnetic field observations from the Mars Atmospheric and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission to investigate potential mechanisms underlying the formation of PDEs.
We show a significant increase in low-frequency (2-100 Hz) electric field wave power within PDEs, and a considerable increase in energetic (>70 eV) electron fluxes during the dayside events. This is indicative of local plasma heating.
We propose that PDEs are formed due to the plasma escape away from the heated region along the magnetic field lines through the ambipolar diffusion.