Exploring the Martian Ionosphere using Photochemical Model and Observations

Abstract:

The Martian ionosphere has been a subject of study since the first mission to the red planet. It is the gateway of many atmospheric loss processes and therefore plays an important role in determining the evolution of the climate and habitability of Mars over geological time. The chemistry, dynamics and energetics of the ionosphere of Mars have spatial and temporal variations due to wide variations in solar forcing, atmospheric dynamics and composition, and the magnetic field. Understanding how competing physical processes produce the observed state of the ionosphere is a major unifying theme that underpins the science of the Martian ionosphere and its variability. There have been several space missions for studying Martian atmosphere/ionosphere. These missions have revolutionized our understanding on Martian environment. While observations are the key stone in our knowledge, they have inherent limitations in their temporal and geographical coverage. Computational models can help to overcome these limitations and in addition provide further insight into the physical processes that produce the observed structures. The need to determine how the ionospheric peak varies on spatial and temporal scales is the motivation behind developing a photochemical model for Martian ionosphere. Using the observations from NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft as model inputs, we investigate the behaviour of Martian electron and ion density profiles. The sensitivity of the modeled plasma profiles to the variations in parameters such as neutral atmospheres, plasma temperatures, etc are explored and used to interpret observed features in Martian ionosphere.