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Dynamics of Mars' magnetosphere
Author(s) -
Kennel C. F.,
Coroniti F. V.,
Moses S. L.,
Zelenyi L. M.
Publication year - 1989
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/gl016i008p00915
Subject(s) - physics , magnetosphere , geophysics , magnetopause , ionosphere , solar wind , gyroradius , mars exploration program , magnetic reconnection , mercury's magnetic field , magnetic field , interplanetary magnetic field , bow shock (aerodynamics) , mechanics , astrobiology , shock wave , quantum mechanics
If Mars has a small intrinsic magnetic moment, Mars' magnetosphere could vary on time scales of a few minutes due to reconnection with the solar wind magnetic field. The day‐side magnetopause will be one or two reflected‐ion Larmor radii from the bow shock. Substorms will have scale‐times of about six minutes. Mars' high ionospheric conductance will virtually stop polar cap convection, and create a magnetic “topological crisis” unless convecting magnetic flux finds a dissipative way to return to the day‐side. The strong magnetic shear induced by magnetospheric convection above the ionosphere could be tearing unstable. The magnetic field might diffusively “percolate” through the tearing layer. This shearing also draws field aligned currents from the ionosphere which could inject few KeV heavy ionospheric ions into the magnetotail.