Martian Bow Shock Research Articles

Generation of 30 s Waves Observed Upstream of the Martian Bow Shock: A Case Study

The foreshock region filled with turbulences is a natural lab for studying interactions between plasma and waves. The underlying processes are vital for dissipating the energy carried by the solar wind into the Martian environment. In this study, we analyze an ultralow-frequency wave observed on 2015 August 14 by Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution upstream of the Martian bow shock. The wave properties match with those of 30 s waves; the dispersion calculation shows that the upstream plasma was capable of generating the observed waves. The analysis of the ion behaviors implies the wave generated without a field-aligned beam, while the growth rate of waves seems to be modulated by the interplanetary magnetic field conditions. These results indicate the unique role of the Martian foreshock in the interaction between the solar wind and the planet.

Properties of Solar Wind Current Sheets in the Martian Space Environment

Transient current sheets (CSs) are common magnetic structures in the solar wind that can significantly disturb the planetary space environment and cause space weather phenomena. This study focuses on their properties in the Martian space environment and investigates their transformations caused by the Martian bow shock. Based on 14 months of data from the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission during similar solar activity, 786 CSs with directional changes greater than 90° and magnetic field depression were automatically identified, including 256 events in the upstream solar wind and 530 events in the Martian magnetosheath. After crossing the bow shock, the duration and thickness of the CSs decrease, while their current density and occurrence rate significantly increase. In the Martian magnetosheath, CSs located on the dayside exhibit stronger current density, a relatively lower occurrence rate, and a smaller Bx/BT than CSs located on the nightside. From the dayside to the nightside, the predominant magnetic field component of CSs changes to Bx due to the draping process. Moreover, a clear dawn–dusk asymmetry in CS properties emerges from the foreshock to the downstream region of the Martian bow shock. Our results reveal the properties and evolution of solar wind CSs in the Martian space environment.

Two‐Spacecraft Observations of Asymmetric Martian Bow Shock: Conjunctions of Tianwen‐1 and MAVEN

AbstractThe Martian bow shock has been extensively studied through magnetic field and plasma instrument observations from various Mars space missions. However, prior investigations primarily involve statistical analyses based on single spacecraft crossings, leaving the asymmetry of the Martian bow shock unstudied through simultaneous two‐spacecraft observations. In this study, utilizing simultaneous observations from Tianwen‐1 and MAVEN, we examine the instantaneous asymmetry of the Martian bow shock. We present the asymmetry of the Martian bow shock in the Mars‐Solar‐Electric and Mars‐Solar‐Orbital reference frames, possibly influenced by the solar wind motional electric field and Martian crustal magnetic field, respectively. Moreover, we suggest that the bow shock exhibits increased asymmetry under stronger solar wind motional electric field conditions. This study highlights how a two‐point observation approach offers valuable insights into the dynamic behavior of the Martian induced magnetosphere.

Unusually Low-frequency Whistler-mode Waves and Their Association with High-energy Protons Observed Upstream of Martian Bow Shock

Whistler-mode waves upstream of planetary bow shock are often referred to as “1-Hz waves” due to the center of their observed frequency range being at ∼1 Hz. A series of whistler-mode waves were observed upstream of the Martian bow shock by MAVEN on 2015 August 14, with unusually low frequencies centered at ∼0.4 Hz. These waves were accompanied (though not synchronized) by the significant flux enhancement of high-energy protons up to ∼10 keV. By analyzing the wave dispersion property and the wave–particle interaction condition, we find that the observed whistler-mode waves have the potential of resonating with protons of ∼1 keV with large pitch angles up to nearly perpendicular to the background magnetic field, thereby providing a feasible means of accounting for proton acceleration. Our results indicate the possible origin of energized protons in the Martian environment through the interaction with whistler-mode waves, and their potential relationship with the unique upstream conditions.

Martian bow shock and magnetic pileup boundary models based on machine learning

Traditional Martian bow shock and magnetic pileup (magnetopause) boundary models are based on the fitting of free parameters in a prescribed formula. The form of the formula, fitted data, and considered controlling parameters distinguish the individual models from each other. However, all these models have one thing in common: the shape of the boundary and the parametric dependence assumed are fixed by the prescribed formula. The fitted data set typically consists of individual identified boundary crossings. This approach can suffer from a significant bias, as the boundary crossings are more likely to be identified in regions where a spacecraft spends more time. In this study, we use an automated region classification of the data measured by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft to solar wind, magnetosheath, or magnetosphere. This is achieved by applying the Support Vector Machine method to individual spacecraft half-orbits (from periapsis to apoapsis or vice versa). Two different models of the locations of the bow shock and magnetic pileup boundaries are then constructed based on neural networks: i) a model trained using the classified data, and ii) a model trained using individual identified boundary crossings. As compared to formal empirical modeling efforts, the neural network models do not assume any prescribed shape/distance formula. Optimal model parameterization (considering the solar wind dynamic pressure, solar ionizing flux, crustal magnetic field magnitude, Alfvén Mach number, and interplanetary magnetic field magnitude) is discussed and the model performance evaluated.

Revisiting the Solar Wind Deceleration Upstream of the Martian Bow Shock Based on MAVEN Observations

The solar wind deceleration upstream of the Martian bow shock is examined using particle and magnetic field measurements obtained by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN). Mars lacks a strong intrinsic magnetic field so its upper atmosphere extends beyond the Martian bow shock and interacts directly with the solar wind. Neutral atoms in the Martian upper atmosphere can be ionized through several physical processes and then start to move with the solar wind flow to form pickup ions. In return, the solar wind is expected to slow down due to the momentum transfer to the pickup ions. The present study surveys the MAVEN solar wind measurements between 2015 and 2019 to evaluate the solar wind deceleration upstream of the Martian bow shock. Different from previous studies of solar wind deceleration, our analysis carefully excludes the solar wind deceleration in the shock foot region. The average solar wind deceleration obtained is about 0.7% of the initial solar wind speed, much smaller than the values given by previous studies. Further calculation using several reasonable Martian upper atmosphere density profiles demonstrates that the deceleration observed is consistent with the pickup ion mass-loading scenario.

Betatron Acceleration of Suprathermal Electrons Upstream of the Martian Bow Shock

Betatron acceleration, a plasma process obtaining particle energy in the perpendicular direction but reserving energy in the field-aligned direction, is the consequence of magnetic strength enhancement when the first adiabatic invariant is conserved. Such process has been widely reported in the terrestrial magnetosphere but is barely reported in other planetary environments. Here, based on the in situ measurements from the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission, we report two events of betatron acceleration upstream of the Martian bow shock. In both events, betatron accelerations increase the fluxes of suprathermal electrons. The acceleration processes in these events are quantitatively reproduced with an analytical model. Gratifyingly, we find the acceleration factors derived from the analytical model are well consistent with the observations of magnetic strength enhancement. These results for the first time show that the betatron acceleration is an active upstream of the Martian bow shock and is very useful to help us understand the generation of energetic electrons in the Martian environment.

Martian Bow Shock Oscillations Driven by Solar Wind Variations: Simultaneous Observations From Tianwen‐1 and MAVEN

AbstractThe Martian bow shock stands as the first defense against the solar wind and shapes the Martian magnetosphere. Previous studies showed the correlation between the Martian bow shock location and solar wind parameters. Here we present direct evidence of solar wind effects on the Martian bow shock by analyzing Tianwen‐1 and MAVEN data. We examined three cases where Tianwen‐1 data show rapid oscillations of the bow shock, while MAVEN data record changes in solar wind plasma and magnetic field. The results indicate that the bow shock is rapidly compressed and then expanded during the dynamic pressure pulse in the solar wind, and is also oscillated during the IMF rotation. The superposition of variations in multiple solar wind parameters leads to more intensive bow shock oscillation. This study emphasizes the importance of joint observations by Tianwen‐1 and MAVEN for studying the real‐time response of the Martian magnetosphere to the solar wind.

Seasonal and Mach Number Variation of the Martian Bow Shock Structure

AbstractLike its terrestrial counterpart, the Martian bow shock can exhibit foot, ramp, and overshoot substructures. The shock extent is known to vary with solar wind and season, but it remains an open question whether other features of the bow shock also vary seasonally. By comparing parameters of the shock during different seasons and solar wind conditions, we investigated whether the presence of seasonal planetary ions has any effect on the shock structure. We utilized a series of algorithms to automatically collect and analyze 7056 shock crossings from MAVEN spacecraft data between November 2014 and 2019. We compared the magnetic shock jump and overshoot amplitude as functions of upstream parameters and season. We found that the magnetic shock jump agrees to first order with Rankine‐Hugoniot predictions, and that the overshoot amplitude dependence on critical ratio, beta and Alfvén Mach number agree with the results of previous studies. These trends are identical for all seasons. We also found that the shock jump and fast Mach number correlate primarily with solar zenith angle, whereas overshoot amplitude correlates primarily with shock extent. We found that the most likely cause of the latter was an unexpected strong correlation between overshoot amplitude and the solar wind flow fast Mach number. The seasonal variability of the Sun‐Mars system does not appear to be strongly reflected in the resulting shock structure. The bow shock structure is controlled mainly by the properties of the solar wind, rather than by Mars' location in its orbit around the Sun.

Tianwen-1 and MAVEN Observations of the Response of Mars to an Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection

Interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) are solar transients that have significant effects on the upper atmosphere and ionosphere of Mars. The simultaneous spacecraft observations from Tianwen-1/MOMAG in solar wind and multiple instruments on board the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) in the Martian upper atmosphere are used to study the response of Mars to an ICME. The ICME was observed at Mars by Tianwen-1 and MAVEN at 00:00 UT on 2021 December 10, which was earlier observed by BepiColombo upstream of Mars at 22:32 UT on 2021 December 6. During 2021 December 6–15, MAVEN measured the nightside ionosphere and Tianwen-1 measured the dayside ionosphere while both were inside the Martian bow shock. The rapid drop in densities of ionospheric ions and electrons, which is typically identified as the end of the ionosphere at altitudes between 300–800 km, is known as the ionopause. The altitude of the Martian ionopause location was lowered by the high dynamic pressure of the solar wind during the ICME passage. The depletion of the plasma density in the topside Martian ionosphere on the nightside reveals the presence of substantial ion and electron escape to space through the interaction between the ICME and Mars. The column abundance of plasma dramatically decreased, with 34% e−, 61% , and 73% O+ reduced. This study highlights the significant impact of the space weather associated with the intense magnetic field and high dynamic pressure of the ICME on Mars’s atmosphere, which is particularly important for future human exploration missions to Mars.

Local Generation of Magnetosonic Waves by Ring Beam Hot Protons in the Martian Ionosphere

AbstractMagnetosonic (MS) waves are dominant plasma waves causing severe Martian ionospheric erosion. They are generally considered to originate upstream of Martian bow shock with frequencies near the upstream proton gyrofrequency. However, whether MS waves can be locally excited lacks theoretical analysis. Here we present an event of MS waves with frequencies above and closely related to the local proton gyrofrequency in the Martian ionosphere. Concurrently, ring beam hot proton distributions are observed due to the penetration of magnetosheath protons. By employing the observed plasma and magnetic field data, the calculated linear growth rates for MS waves agree well with the observed wave power spectra, demonstrating that they can be locally excited by unstable ring beam hot protons at Mars. Our results could be of great help in understanding the excitation of MS waves in a heavy ion‐rich environment around unmagnetized planets.

Unusual Martian Foreshock Waves Triggered by a Solar Wind Stream Interaction Region

Planetary bow shocks noncollisionally dissipate the incident bulk flow energy of solar wind into some other forms. To what extent and how solar wind disturbances affect the energy dissipation processes at the bow shocks on different planets remain unclear. With the Chinese Tianwen-1 and American Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN missions, we present the first observation of significant modifications by a solar wind stream interaction region to the Martian foreshock waves, which are an important energy dissipation product of the bow shock. After the stream interface hitting Mars, an unusual band of foreshock waves emerged, with a central frequency of ∼0.4 Hz and frequency width of ∼0.2 Hz. These waves exhibited highly distorted waveforms, with peak-to-peak amplitudes of 10–25 nT in contrast to a background magnetic field of 6–9 nT. They were approximately elliptically polarized with respect to the wavevector and propagated highly obliquely to the background magnetic field. These waves reported here differed greatly from the commonly known Martian foreshock “30 s waves” and “1 Hz waves,” but resembled, to some extent, the less frequently occurring terrestrial foreshock “3 s waves.” Our present findings may imply an unexpected energy dissipation pattern of the Martian bow shock to the disturbed solar wind, which needs further observational, theoretical, and numerical investigations.

Interplanetary Magnetic Field Effect on the Location of the Martian Bow Shock: MAVEN Observations

The Martian bow shock (BS) is generated with the mass-loading and magnetic pileup processes when the solar wind interacts with the Martian ionosphere. In this vein, the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) frozen in the solar wind can affect the location of the Martian BS, which is less reported. Based on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission, we manually identify 10,283 BS crossings during a period of the gradually declining solar cycle phase (2014 October–2020 December) and investigate the effects of the intensity and orientation of the IMF on the Martian BS. In the Mars Solar Orbital coordinate system, our results show the following: (1) The Martian BS, including the subsolar and flank regions, linearly moves away from Mars when the IMF intensity increases, which confirms the theoretical and the MHD simulation results. (2) Under the radial IMF condition, we first demonstrate that the subsolar and flank regions of the Martian BS are situated closer to Mars compared to other IMF situations. This might be caused by the weaker magnetic pileup process and the “low-pressure magnetosheath” model under the radial IMF condition. (3) Moreover, the cross section of the Martian BS is elongated in the north–south direction when the Y component of the IMF is dominant, which is on account of the fast magnetosonic speed effect and verifies the elongation phenomenon of the terrestrial BS. The IMF intensity and orientation effects cannot be ignored and should be considered in future models of the Martian BS.

MAVEN Proton Observations Near the Martian Moon Phobos: Does Phobos Backscatter Solar Wind Protons?

AbstractESA's Mars Express (MEX) may have observed twice solar wind protons backscattered by Phobos. However, these detections remain uncertain and call for an independent confirmation. Here, we analyze the proton measurements collected by the Suprathermal And Thermal Ion Composition experiment onboard NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN mission (MAVEN) during the 15 closest encounters of MAVEN with Phobos (closest approach between 80 and 370 km). We use a model of magnetic connectivity to the Martian bow shock and an exospheric pickup ion model to identify the origin of the protons observed close to the Martian moon. We find no evidence of protons backscattered by Phobos. Instead, foreshock‐shock foot protons and Martian exospheric pickup protons are often observed near Phobos. These results put into new context not only the past MEX detections, but also the future observation attempts of the upcoming JAXA Martian Moons Exploration mission.

A magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the dayside magnetic reconnection between the solar wind and the Martian crustal field

Using a three-dimensional multispecies magnetohydrodynamic model, we study the effects of the orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), solar wind dynamic pressure (Pd), and the location of the intense crustal field, on the dayside magnetic reconnection between the solar wind and the Martian crustal field. Our main results are as follows: (1) Different IMF orientations result in different magnetic field configurations and reconnection conditions on the Martian dayside. When the intense crustal field is located on the dayside, the dayside magnetic reconnection tends to occur in the region with solar zenith angles (SZA) ≈45° in the southern hemisphere for the IMF with a southward component. When the IMF has a northward component, the magnetic field lines are piled up in the same place and the Martian magnetic pileup boundary (MPB) appears as a local bulged “mini-magnetopause”. Under the pure radial IMF, the magnetic reconnection is absent, which might be due to the presence of additional outward magnetic tension and kinetic effects. (2) Dayside reconnection can change the shape of the Martian MPB, while the bow shock is weakly affected. When the IMF has a southward component, the dayside magnetic reconnection happens and the MPB is located closer to Mars with a “cusp” shape. When the IMF has a northward component, the Martian MPB expands with a local bulged “mini-magnetopause”. For the pure radial IMF condition, the subsolar region of the MPB is located closer to Mars than that under other IMF directions. The influence of the IMF cone angles on the Martian bow shock is much less than that on the MPB, and the bow shock locations are very close to the model results of another author found in the literature. (3) With increasing Pd, the size of the crustal field region decreases and the draped fields correspondingly move to lower altitudes where the IMF and crustal field have the same direction. When the IMF has a southward component and the magnetic reconnection occurs at SZA ≈ 45°, the reconnection site, the region of the closed topology of the crustal field, and the draped IMF, do not change much with increasing Pd. We suggest that the multipolar crustal magnetic fields can protect the solar wind IMF from further reconnecting with the crustal field to a lower altitude when Pd is enhanced.

Plasma Temperatures in the Martian Subsolar Magnetosheath: MAVEN Observations

We studied the thermal features of magnetized plasmas in the Martian subsolar magnetosheath using MAVEN’s observations from 2014 to 2019. Statistical analyses show that the average ion and electron temperature in the Martian subsolar magnetosheath are 210 and 31 eV, respectively, which are significantly lower than their counterparts in the subsolar magnetosheaths of Earth and Saturn which both have an inherent magnetosphere. However, the ratio T¯i/T¯e in the Martian subsolar magnetosheath is about 6.8, which is very close to that of Earth and Saturn. We further investigated the relationship between Ti/Te and the bulk ion flow velocity Vi, as well as the relationship between the total plasma beta β and Vi. Results show that the average value of Ti/Te when Vi<300km/s is considerably higher than when Vi>300km/s. A value of Vi closer to 250–300 km/s leads to a higher average value of the total plasma beta β. These results confirm the prediction of previous researchers, that there is not enough room for solar wind thermalization as the distance between the Martian bow shock and the so-called obstacle is of the order of a solar wind proton gyroradius.

Statistical Study of Small-scale Magnetic Holes in the Upstream Regime of the Martian Bow Shock

Abstract Small-scale magnetic holes (SSMHs) are frequently observed in the solar wind at 1 au, as well as the terrestrial current sheet and magnetosheath. These kinetic-size structures play an important role in energy dissipation and particle transportation. Here, we report the existence of SSMHs in the upstream regime of the Martian bow shock and statistically investigate these SSMHs based on 5 yr observations of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN spacecraft. A total of 549 SSMHs are found, and their durations and sizes obey the lognormal distribution. The median duration is ∼0.46 s, and the median size is ∼2 ion inertial lengths. We regard an isolated SSMH or a train of SSMHs as a SSMH event. The average occurrence rate of the SSMH events is ∼0.6 event per day. The occurrence rate is much larger in the region belonging to the ion foreshock on average, suggesting that the ion foreshock is an important source of SSMHs. The occurrence of the SSMH events tends to be larger when the ion number density and the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) strength are larger, indicating that the generation of SSMHs might be associated with ions and the IMF strength. Although their generation mechanism is still unclear, the finding of the link between the occurrence rate of the SSMH events and ion number density, as well as the IMF strength, might provide a clue to further reveal the generation mechanism of SSMHs in the solar wind or planetary foreshock.

Plasma Waves in the Distant Martian Environment: Implications for Mars' Sphere of Influence

AbstractWe identify magnetic waves in the initial insertion orbits of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission spacecraft far upstream of the Martian bow shock. Overall, the majority of the observed magnetic waves are elliptically polarized and more perpendicular than parallel relative to the mean magnetic field. We find and analyze numerous waves near 1 Hz. The handedness of these 1 Hz waves tends toward left‐handed as the angle between the solar wind velocity and the magnetic field decrease. Similar waves are not seen in the Juno cruise data when it passed Mars' orbit (while Mars was more than 1 AU away). The presence of these waves out to distances of 14 Mars radii as observed by MAVEN and their absence in the Juno cruise data suggests the 1 Hz waves are amplified and/or created by the Martian environment. We also find a second, separate class of intermittent waves with frequencies near the proton cyclotron gyrofrequency. These waves are primarily right‐handed polarized in the spacecraft frame. The spatial distribution of the waves suggests no clear association with the well‐known plume of escaping ions that flows in the direction of the solar wind electric field. There are no obvious correlations between the wave amplitudes and the direction of the local interplanetary magnetic field or on their proximity to Mars. These characteristics lead us to conclude that the majority of these near‐proton cyclotron gyrofrequency waves are likely whistler‐mode waves that are not directly associated with Mars.

The Structure of the Martian Quasi‐Perpendicular Supercritical Shock as Seen by MAVEN

AbstractThe Martian bow shock is a rich example of a supercritical, mass‐loaded collisionless shock that coexists with ultra‐low frequency upstream waves that are generated by the pick‐up of exospheric ions. The small size of the bow shock stand‐off distance (comparable with the solar wind ion convective gyroradius) raises questions about the nature of the particle acceleration and energy dissipation mechanism at work. The study of the Martian shock structure is crucial to understand its microphysics and is of special interest to understand the solar wind—planet interaction with a virtually unmagnetized body. We report on a complete identification and first characterization of the supercritical substructures of the Martian quasi‐perpendicular shock, under the assumption of a moving shock layer, using MAVEN magnetic field and solar wind plasma observations for two examples of shock crossings. We obtained substructures length‐scales comparable to those of the Terrestrial shock, with a narrow shock ramp of the order of a few electron inertial lengths. We also observed a well defined foot (smaller than the proton convected gyroradius) and overshoot that confirm the importance of ion dynamics for dissipative effects.

Properties of Interplanetary Fast Shocks Close to the Martian Environment

Abstract Magnetic field and plasma measurements from the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN mission in orbit around Mars are analyzed for interplanetary fast shock properties and drivers from 2014 October to 2018 November. We identified 52 fast shocks, including 39 fast forward (FF) shocks and 13 fast reverse (FR) shocks. Most (79%) of the FF shocks are driven by stream interaction regions (SIRs) with only a few cases being driven by interplanetary coronal mass ejections, and all of the FR shocks are driven by SIRs. A total of 92% of the identified shocks are quasi-perpendicular shocks. On average, the shock strengths of SIR-driven forward and reverse shocks are comparable, and they are greater than that of ICME-driven forward shocks. The shock strengths show no systematic dependence on the shock locations relative to the Martian bow shock. We find no evidence that the shock shapes are affected by Mars and its bow shock as an obstacle in the propagating medium. The results can help us understand the nature of interplanetary shocks propagating in different environments.