A Statistical Investigation of Factors Influencing the Magnetotail Twist at Mars
Abstract The Martian magnetotail exhibits a highly twisted configuration, shifting in response to changes in polarity of the interplanetary magnetic field's (IMF) dawn‐dusk (BY) component. Here, we analyze ∼6000 MAVEN orbits to quantify the degree of magnetotail twisting (θTwist) and assess var...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL098007 |
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| author | Gina A. DiBraccio Norberto Romanelli Charles F. Bowers Jacob R. Gruesbeck Jasper S. Halekas Suranga Ruhunusiri Tristan Weber Jared R. Espley Shaosui Xu Janet G. Luhmann Yuki Harada Eduard Dubinin Gang Kai Poh David A. Brain Shannon M. Curry |
| author_facet | Gina A. DiBraccio Norberto Romanelli Charles F. Bowers Jacob R. Gruesbeck Jasper S. Halekas Suranga Ruhunusiri Tristan Weber Jared R. Espley Shaosui Xu Janet G. Luhmann Yuki Harada Eduard Dubinin Gang Kai Poh David A. Brain Shannon M. Curry |
| author_sort | Gina A. DiBraccio |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The Martian magnetotail exhibits a highly twisted configuration, shifting in response to changes in polarity of the interplanetary magnetic field's (IMF) dawn‐dusk (BY) component. Here, we analyze ∼6000 MAVEN orbits to quantify the degree of magnetotail twisting (θTwist) and assess variations as a function of (a) strong planetary crustal field location, (b) Mars season, and (c) downtail distance. The results demonstrate that θTwist is larger for a duskward (+BY) IMF orientation a majority of the time. This preference is likely due to the local orientation of crustal magnetic fields across the surface of Mars, where a +BY IMF orientation presents ideal conditions for magnetic reconnection to occur. Additionally, we observe an increase in θTwist with downtail distance, similar to Earth's magnetotail. These findings suggest that coupling between the IMF and moderate‐to‐weak crustal field regions may play a major role in determining the magnetospheric structure at Mars. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ef02c446846c4ff4b4916101624ad911 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-ef02c446846c4ff4b4916101624ad9112025-01-22T14:38:16ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072022-06-014912n/an/a10.1029/2022GL098007A Statistical Investigation of Factors Influencing the Magnetotail Twist at MarsGina A. DiBraccio0Norberto Romanelli1Charles F. Bowers2Jacob R. Gruesbeck3Jasper S. Halekas4Suranga Ruhunusiri5Tristan Weber6Jared R. Espley7Shaosui Xu8Janet G. Luhmann9Yuki Harada10Eduard Dubinin11Gang Kai Poh12David A. Brain13Shannon M. Curry14NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt MD USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt MD USADepartment of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt MD USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy The University of Iowa Iowa City IA USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy The University of Iowa Iowa City IA USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt MD USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt MD USASpace Sciences Laboratory University of California Berkeley CA USASpace Sciences Laboratory University of California Berkeley CA USADepartment of Geophysics Graduate School of Science Kyoto University Kyoto JapanMax‐Planck‐Institute for Solar System Research Göttingen GermanyNASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt MD USALaboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics University of Colorado Boulder CO USASpace Sciences Laboratory University of California Berkeley CA USAAbstract The Martian magnetotail exhibits a highly twisted configuration, shifting in response to changes in polarity of the interplanetary magnetic field's (IMF) dawn‐dusk (BY) component. Here, we analyze ∼6000 MAVEN orbits to quantify the degree of magnetotail twisting (θTwist) and assess variations as a function of (a) strong planetary crustal field location, (b) Mars season, and (c) downtail distance. The results demonstrate that θTwist is larger for a duskward (+BY) IMF orientation a majority of the time. This preference is likely due to the local orientation of crustal magnetic fields across the surface of Mars, where a +BY IMF orientation presents ideal conditions for magnetic reconnection to occur. Additionally, we observe an increase in θTwist with downtail distance, similar to Earth's magnetotail. These findings suggest that coupling between the IMF and moderate‐to‐weak crustal field regions may play a major role in determining the magnetospheric structure at Mars.https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL098007magnetosphereMarsmagnetotailmagnetic reconnection |
| spellingShingle | Gina A. DiBraccio Norberto Romanelli Charles F. Bowers Jacob R. Gruesbeck Jasper S. Halekas Suranga Ruhunusiri Tristan Weber Jared R. Espley Shaosui Xu Janet G. Luhmann Yuki Harada Eduard Dubinin Gang Kai Poh David A. Brain Shannon M. Curry A Statistical Investigation of Factors Influencing the Magnetotail Twist at Mars Geophysical Research Letters magnetosphere Mars magnetotail magnetic reconnection |
| title | A Statistical Investigation of Factors Influencing the Magnetotail Twist at Mars |
| title_full | A Statistical Investigation of Factors Influencing the Magnetotail Twist at Mars |
| title_fullStr | A Statistical Investigation of Factors Influencing the Magnetotail Twist at Mars |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Statistical Investigation of Factors Influencing the Magnetotail Twist at Mars |
| title_short | A Statistical Investigation of Factors Influencing the Magnetotail Twist at Mars |
| title_sort | statistical investigation of factors influencing the magnetotail twist at mars |
| topic | magnetosphere Mars magnetotail magnetic reconnection |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL098007 |
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