P12A-02
Martian-Solar Wind Interaction Boundaries as Observed by MAVEN
Monday, 14 December 2015: 10:35
3002 (Moscone West)
Jacob Gruesbeck1,2, Jared R Espley2, John E P Connerney2, Gina A DiBraccio3 and Yasir Ibn Jilani Soobiah2, (1)University of Maryland College Park, College Park, MD, United States, (2)NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, United States, (3)NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Solar System Exploration Division, Greenbelt, MD, United States
Abstract:
Lacking a global intrinsic field, the Martian magnetosphere is a product of the interaction of Mars with the interplanetary magnetic field and the supersonic solar wind. Previous analysis has been performed, using Phobos 2 and Mars Global Surveyor, observations to determine the average location of the Martian bow shock and the magnetic pileup boundary (MPB). However, analysis of individual orbits shows that the location of these boundaries can be highly variable in response to the changing heliospheric environment, implying that an average boundary may not be as representative as finite thickness boundary layers. MAVEN has been in orbit and producing science observations since November 2014 providing a large number of orbits, approximately 5 per day, for the spacecraft to cross the induced boundaries during a wide range of heliospheric conditions. Using data from the Particle and Fields Package onboard the MAVEN spacecraft, we are able to determine the location and thickness of the bow shock and the MPB, during each orbit. Additionally, MAVEN’s orbit precesses such that we observe boundary crossings over a wide range of latitude and longitudes, important if there is any influence on the variability of the boundaries from the Martian crustal fields. Here we present a new model for the boundaries of the Martian magnetosphere, with a finite thickness to capture the variability of their location due to the changing solar wind environment.
