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The fast atomic oxygen corona extent of Mars
Author(s) -
Ip W.H.
Publication year - 1990
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/gl017i013p02289
Subject(s) - exosphere , martian , dissociative recombination , mars exploration program , orbiter , astrobiology , oxygen , solar wind , hot atom , atomic oxygen , corona (planetary geology) , ion , atmosphere of mars , atomic physics , aeronomy , flux (metallurgy) , atmosphere (unit) , physics , ionosphere , astronomy , materials science , chemistry , meteorology , plasma , recombination , nuclear physics , quantum mechanics , venus , biochemistry , metallurgy , gene
The production of fast oxygen atoms in the Martian exosphere as a result of the electron dissociative recombination of ions is re‐evaluated for the time period appropriate to the Phobos 2 mission. Because of the prevalent condition of solar maximum activities in 1989, both the upper atmosphere and ionsphere should have more extended structures than those encountered during the Viking Orbiter (VO) mission in 1976 which was near solar minimum. We compare the distributions of the hot oxygen atoms for these different levels of solar activities and find that the number density of the hot oxygen atoms during the Phobos 2 mission should be a factor of two larger than estimated for the time period of the VO mission. The non‐thermal escape rate of the exospheric oxygen atoms is thus comparable to the ionospheric escape rate measured in the Martian magnetotail. Furthermore, the flux of the oxygen ions picked up in the hot atomic corona should be more intense than previously thought.