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Spectral Analysis of Accelerated Electron Populations at Mars
Author(s) -
Akbari Hassanali,
Andersson Laila,
Fowler Christopher,
Mitchell David
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9402
pISSN - 2169-9380
DOI - 10.1029/2019ja026738
Subject(s) - mars exploration program , electron , ionosphere , martian , electron precipitation , atmosphere of mars , ionization , range (aeronautics) , solar wind , physics , atomic physics , atmospheric sciences , astrobiology , plasma , ion , materials science , astronomy , magnetosphere , nuclear physics , quantum mechanics , composite material
Accelerated electron populations observed in the nightside ionosphere of Mars are investigated by utilizing measurements obtained by the Solar Wind Electron Analyzer aboard the MAVEN spacecraft. The measurements are of particular interest as they extend to altitudes as low as 130 km, allowing us to investigate the degree to which the accelerated populations precipitate into the Martian upper atmosphere and cause ionization. The spectral features of the accelerated electron populations suggest that a large fraction of these electron populations originate from a cold plasma with electron temperature as low as 1 eV. The peak energy of the accelerated electrons is generally found in the range of tens to hundreds of electron volts. Electrons in this energy range have been previously suggested as the cause of the discrete aurora emissions observed on Mars. Finally, we find that even though the detection rate of the accelerated electrons is small (<1%), they account for ∼10% of the total energy that is deposited into the nightside ionosphere by electron precipitation.