Design and construction of a ground-based plasma device for Martian boundary layer investigation

Abstract

Laboratory experiments have contributed significantly to the exploration of the fundamental physics of Earth’s and planetary space plasma. In this work, a ground-based plasma device was designed and constructed to study the plasma physics in the Martian boundary layer, where the solar wind plasma directly interacts with the Martian ionospheric plasma, and the underlying physical mechanisms and processes are not fully understood. The solar wind plasma and the Martian ionospheric plasma were simulated using two independent plasma sources. A Kaufman source was used to simulate the low-density, high-velocity solar wind plasma, and a lanthanum hexaboride source was utilized to simulate the high-density, low-velocity Martian ionospheric plasma. Additionally, the crustal magnetic field of Mars was modeled using a rotatable electromagnet. The initial results suggest that the interaction in the Martian boundary layer can be simulated based on the device, and the boundary layer’s structure, location, and physical processes can be experimentally studied in the future.