Explanipedia

Data Driven Simulation of Martian River-Valley Evolution and Its Relation to the Paleoclimate Open

Christina Günter, Tristan Weber · 2025

Open Magnetic Fields in the Martian Magnetosphere Revealing Dipole-like Intrinsic Magnetic Fields at Mars Open

Shaosui Xu, J. G. Luhmann, D. L. Mitchell, Tristan Weber, D. A. Brain , et al. · 2023

Mars’s magnetosphere is hybrid, having contributions from both an induced magnetosphere like Venus and the localized crustal magnetic fields. However, the planetary fields also include large-scale, more global components. In this study, we…

Photoelectron Boundary: The Top of the Dayside Ionosphere at Mars Open

Shaosui Xu, D. L. Mitchell, J. P. McFadden, C. M. Fowler, K. G. Hanley , et al. · 2023

The interaction between Mars and the solar wind results in different plasma regimes separated by several boundaries, among which the separation between the sheath flow and the ionosphere is complicated. Previous studies have provided diffe…

Exploring the Solar Wind‐Planetary Interaction at Mars: Implication for Magnetic Reconnection Open

C. F. Bowers, G. A. DiBraccio, J. A. Slavin, J. Gruesbeck, Tristan Weber , et al. · 2023

The Martian crustal magnetic anomalies present a varied, asymmetric obstacle to the imposing draped interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and solar wind plasma. Magnetic reconnection, a ubiquitous plasma phenomenon responsible for transferri…

The Search for Magnetotail Twisting at Mercury: Comparing MESSENGER Observations With the Terrestrial Case Open

Norberto Romanelli, G. A. DiBraccio, J. A. Slavin, C. F. Bowers, Tristan Weber · 2022

Previous studies reported that the terrestrial and Martian magnetotails can become twisted due to the solar wind‐planetary interaction; however, the associated physical processes proper of intrinsic and induced magnetospheres are still und…

Auroral electrons at Mars: upstream drivers and ionospheric impact Open

Shaosui Xu, D. L. Mitchell, J. McFadden, Christopher Fowler, K. G. Hanley , et al. · 2022

Discrete aurorae have been observed at Mars by multiple spacecraft, including Mars Express, Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN), and most recently the United Arab Emirates’ Hope spacecraft.  Meanwhile…

Nightside Auroral Electrons at Mars: Upstream Drivers and Ionospheric Impact Open

Shaosui Xu, D. L. Mitchell, J. P. McFadden, C. M. Fowler, K. G. Hanley , et al. · 2022

Discrete aurorae have been observed at Mars by multiple spacecraft, including Mars Express, Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN), and most recently the United Arab Emirates Hope spacecraft. Meanwhile, there have been studies on t…

A Statistical Investigation of Factors Influencing the Magnetotail Twist at Mars Open

G. A. DiBraccio, Norberto Romanelli, C. F. Bowers, J. Gruesbeck, J. S. Halekas , et al. · 2022

The Martian magnetotail exhibits a highly twisted configuration, shifting in response to changes in polarity of the interplanetary magnetic field's (IMF) dawn‐dusk ( B Y ) component. Here, we analyze ∼6000 MAVEN orbits to quantify the degr…

Exploring the solar wind-planetary interaction at Mars: Implication for Magnetic Reconnection Open

C. F. Bowers, G. A. DiBraccio, J. A. Slavin, J. Gruesbeck, Tristan Weber , et al. · 2022

The Martian crustal magnetic anomalies create a varied, asymmetric obstacle for the draped interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) to interact with. One possible result of this interaction is magnetic reconnection, a process by which …

Discrete Aurora at Mars: Dependence on Upstream Solar Wind Conditions Open

Z. Girazian, N. M. Schneider, Zachariah Milby, Xiaohua Fang, J. S. Halekas , et al. · 2022

Discrete aurora at Mars, characterized by their small spatial scale and tendency to form near strong crustal magnetic fields, are emissions produced by particle precipitation into the Martian upper atmosphere. Since 2014, Mars Atmosphere a…

Empirically Determined Auroral Electron Events at Mars—MAVEN Observations Open

Shaosui Xu, D. L. Mitchell, J. P. McFadden, N. M. Schneider, Zachariah Milby , et al. · 2022

Discrete aurorae have been observed at magnetized planets such as Earth and Jupiter, triggered by accelerated electrons. Similar aurorae have also been observed at Mars with only localized strong crustal magnetisms. However, our understand…

Updated spherical harmonic moments of Ganymede from the Juno flyby Open

Tristan Weber, K. Moore, J. E. P. Connerney, J. R. Espley, G. A. DiBraccio , et al. · 2022

Earth and Space Science Open Archive This preprint has been submitted to and is under consideration at Geophysical Research Letters. ESSOAr is a venue for early communication or feedback before peer review. Data may be preliminary.Learn mo…

Discrete Aurora at Mars: Dependence on Upstream Solar Wind Conditions Open

Z. Girazian, N. M. Schneider, Zachariah Milby, Xiaohua Fang, J. S. Halekas , et al. · 2022

Discrete aurora at Mars, characterized by their small spatial scale and tendency to form near strong crustal magnetic fields, are emissions produced by particle precipitation into the Martian upper atmosphere. Since 2014, Mars Atmosphere a…

Global Ambipolar Potentials and Electric Fields at Mars Inferred From MAVEN Observations Open

Shaosui Xu, D. L. Mitchell, Yingjuan Ma, Tristan Weber, D. A. Brain , et al. · 2021

The motion of charged particles is governed by electromagnetic forces at high altitudes at Mars and thus the characterization of electrostatic potential and electric fields is important for understanding ion escape at Mars. In this study, …

Discrete Aurora on Mars: Insights Into Their Distribution and Activity From MAVEN/IUVS Observations Open

N. M. Schneider, Zachariah Milby, Sonal Jain, Jean‐Claude Gérard, Lauriane Soret , et al. · 2021

Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN)'s Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph has identified 278 occurrences of discrete aurora events on Mars, which are patchy, sporadic ultraviolet emissions emanating from the upper atmosphere. We co…

Discrete Aurora on Mars: Spectral Properties, Vertical Profiles, and Electron Energies Open

Lauriane Soret, Jean‐Claude Gérard, N. M. Schneider, Sonal Jain, Zachariah Milby , et al. · 2021

We present an analysis of hundreds of middle ultraviolet auroral spectra collected at the limb with the Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph (IUVS) instrument on board the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft. While the co…

Martian Crustal Field Influence on O + and O 2 + Escape as Measured by MAVEN Open

Tristan Weber, D. A. Brain, Shaosui Xu, D. L. Mitchell, J. R. Espley , et al. · 2021

Martian crustal magnetic fields influence the solar wind interaction with Mars in a way that is not fully understood. In some locations, crustal magnetic fields act as “mini‐magnetospheres,” shielding the planet's atmosphere, while in othe…

The influence of interplanetary magnetic field direction on Martian crustal magnetic field topology Open

Tristan Weber, D. A. Brain, Shaosui Xu, D. L. Mitchell, J. R. Espley , et al. · 2021

Earth and Space Science Open Archive This preprint has been submitted to and is under consideration at Geophysical Research Letters. ESSOAr is a venue for early communication or feedback before peer review. Data may be preliminary.Learn mo…

Martian crustal field influence on O+ and O2+ escape as measured by MAVEN Open

Tristan Weber, D. A. Brain, Shaosui Xu, D. L. Mitchell, J. R. Espley , et al. · 2021

Earth and Space Science Open Archive This work has been accepted for publication in Journal of Geophysical Research - Space Physics. Version of RecordESSOAr is a venue for early communication or feedback before peer review. Data may be pre…

MAVEN observations of factors influencing the magnetotail twist at Mars Open

G. A. DiBraccio, Norberto Romanelli, J. Gruesbeck, J. S. Halekas, S. Ruhunusiri , et al. · 2020

At Mars, recent studies based on a combination of MAVEN data and modeling have determined the Martian magnetotail exhibits a ~45° twist, either clockwise or counterclockwise from the ecliptic plane, away from the nominal interplanetar…

The Influence of Interplanetary Magnetic Field Direction on Martian Crustal Magnetic Field Topology Open

Tristan Weber, D. A. Brain, Shaosui Xu, D. L. Mitchell, J. R. Espley , et al. · 2020

Crustal magnetic fields influence a range of plasma processes at Mars, guiding the flow of energy from the solar wind into the planet's atmosphere at some locations while shielding the atmosphere at others. In this study we investigate how…

Inverted‐V Electron Acceleration Events Concurring With Localized Auroral Observations at Mars by MAVEN Open

Shaosui Xu, D. L. Mitchell, J. P. McFadden, Matthew Fillingim, L. Andersson , et al. · 2020

From February to March 2019, the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft repeatedly observed aurora near periapsis over Mars' southern strong crustal fields. During these orbits, the Solar Wind Electron Analyzer observed …

Characterizing Mars's Magnetotail Topology With Respect to the Upstream Interplanetary Magnetic Fields Open

Shaosui Xu, D. L. Mitchell, Tristan Weber, D. A. Brain, J. G. Luhmann , et al. · 2020

The canonical picture of the magnetotail of unmagnetized planets consists of draped interplanetary magnetic fields (IMFs) forming opposite‐directed lobes, separated by the current sheet. DiBraccio et al. (2018, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018…

The Penetration of Draped Magnetic Field Into the Martian Upper Ionosphere and Correlations With Upstream Solar Wind Dynamic Pressure Open

C. M. Fowler, Christina O. Lee, Shaosui Xu, D. L. Mitchell, R. J. Lillis , et al. · 2019

Open and draped magnetic field topologies are important at Mars because they can provide ionospheric particles a path to escape to space. Four years of Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN data are analyzed in this study, demonstrating t…

A Technique to Infer Magnetic Topology at Mars and Its Application to the Terminator Region Open

Shaosui Xu, Tristan Weber, D. L. Mitchell, D. A. Brain, C. Mazelle , et al. · 2019

Magnetic topology is important for understanding the Martian plasma environment, including particle precipitation, energy transport, cold ion escape, and wave‐particle interaction. In this study, we combine two independent but complementar…

Ionizing Electrons on the Martian Nightside: Structure and Variability Open

R. J. Lillis, D. L. Mitchell, M. Steckiewicz, D. A. Brain, Shaosui Xu , et al. · 2018

The precipitation of suprathermal electrons is the dominant external source of energy deposition and ionization in the Martian nightside upper atmosphere and ionosphere. We investigate the spatial patterns and variability of ionizing elect…

Investigation of Martian Magnetic Topology Response to 2017 September ICME Open

Shaosui Xu, Xiaohua Fang, D. L. Mitchell, Yingjuan Ma, J. G. Luhmann , et al. · 2018

Many aspects of the Sun‐Mars interaction have been investigated during solar transient events with measurements from multiple spacecrafts and also simulation efforts. Limited discussion has been paid to magnetic topology response to distur…

High‐Altitude Closed Magnetic Loops at Mars Observed by MAVEN Open

Shaosui Xu, D. L. Mitchell, J. G. Luhmann, Yingjuan Ma, Xiaohua Fang , et al. · 2017

With electron and magnetic field data obtained by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft, we have identified closed magnetic field lines, with both foot points embedded in the dayside ionosphere, extending up to 6,20…

A zone of preferential ion heating extends tens of solar radii from Sun Open

J. C. Kasper, K. G. Klein, Tristan Weber, M. Maksimović, Arnaud Zaslavsky , et al. · 2017

The extreme temperatures and non-thermal nature of the solar corona and solar wind arise from an unidentified physical mechanism that preferentially heats certain ion species relative to others. Spectroscopic indicators of unequal temperat…

Ionospheric plasma density variations observed at Mars by MAVEN/LPW Open

D. J. Andrews, L. Andersson, G. T. Delory, R. E. Ergun, A. I. Eriksson , et al. · 2015

We report on initial observations made by the Langmuir Probe and Waves relaxation soundingexperiment on board the NASA Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission. These measurements yield the ionospheric thermal plasma density,…

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