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Effects of a Solar Flare on the Martian Hot O Corona and Photochemical Escape
Author(s) -
Lee Yuni,
Dong Chuanfei,
Pawlowski Dave,
Thiemann Edward,
Tenishev Valeriy,
Mahaffy Paul,
Benna Mehdi,
Combi Michael,
Bougher Stephen,
Eparvier Frank
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2018gl077732
Subject(s) - extreme ultraviolet lithography , extreme ultraviolet , martian , flux (metallurgy) , ionosphere , flare , ionization , atmospheric sciences , astrophysics , ultraviolet , physics , solar flare , corona (planetary geology) , environmental science , astrobiology , astronomy , mars exploration program , materials science , ion , optics , venus , laser , quantum mechanics , metallurgy
We examine for the first time the flare‐induced effects on the Martian hot O corona. The rapid ionospheric response to the increase in the soft X‐ray flux (~800%) facilitates more hot O production at altitudes below the main ionospheric peak, but almost all of these atoms are thermalized before escape. In response to the increase in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) flux (~170%), the overall upper ionospheric and thermospheric densities are enhanced, and the peak thermospheric responses are found ~1.5 hr later. The photochemical escape rate is predicted to increase by ~20% with the increases in the soft X‐ray and EUV fluxes but decrease rapidly by ~13% about 2.5 hr later before recovering the preflare level. Since escaping hot O atoms are mostly produced at high altitudes where ionization by the EUV flux is the greatest, the main contributor to the 20% increase in escape rate is the enhancement in the EUV flux.