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MAVEN observations of tail current sheet flapping at Mars
Author(s) -
DiBraccio Gina A.,
Dann Julian,
Espley Jared R.,
Gruesbeck Jacob R.,
Soobiah Yasir,
Connerney John E. P.,
Halekas Jasper S.,
Harada Yuki,
Bowers Charles F.,
Brain David A.,
Ruhunusiri Suranga,
Hara Takuya,
Jakosky Bruce M.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9402
pISSN - 2169-9380
DOI - 10.1002/2016ja023488
Subject(s) - current sheet , mars exploration program , flapping , magnetosphere , plasma sheet , martian , physics , geophysics , solar wind , atmosphere of mars , venus , astrobiology , mechanics , atmospheric sciences , plasma , magnetohydrodynamics , quantum mechanics , wing , thermodynamics
The Martian magnetotail is a complex regime through which atmospheric particles are lost to space. Our current understanding of Mars' tail continues to develop with the comprehensive particle and field data collected by Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN). In this work, we identify periods when MAVEN encounters multiple current sheet crossings through a single tail traversal in order to understand tail dynamics. We apply an analysis technique that has been developed and validated by using multipoint measurements in order to separate the spatial and temporal properties associated with current sheet flapping. Events are classified into periods of steady flapping, due to a global motion of the current sheet, and kink‐like flapping, resulting from localized wave propagation along the tail current sheet. Out of 106 periods during which multiple current sheet crossings were observed, 20 were due to steady flapping and 10 from kink‐like flapping. A majority of the kink‐like events resulted from waves propagating in the opposite direction of the solar wind convection electric field, regardless of their location in the tail, unlike at Earth and Venus. This finding suggests that possible magnetosphere energy sources, whereby plasma is accelerated and removed from the Martian environment, are not located in the central magnetotail; rather, these waves may be driven by a source located at the tail flank based on the direction of the solar wind electric field. Therefore, by identifying potential sources of impulsive energy release in the tail, we may better understand mechanisms that drive atmospheric loss at Mars.