Mars-Ward Ion Flows in the Martian Magnetotail: Mars Express Observations
Barabash, Stas; Nilsson, Hans; Rong, Zhaojin; Holmström, Mats; Futaana, Yoshifumi; Persson, Moa; Wieser, Gabriella Stenberg; Wei, Yong; Zhang, Chi; Dong, Chuanfei; Klinger, Lucy; Wang, Xiaodong; Soobiah, Yasir
China, Sweden, France, Japan, United States
Abstract
We investigate Mars-ward planetary ions (O+ and O2+) in the Martian magnetotail that potentially reduce the amount of escaping ions. The global properties of Mars-ward flows in the Martian magnetotail are characterized, based on over 13-years of ion data (May 2007-December 2020) collected by the Analyzer of Space Plasma and Energetic Atoms instrument on Mars Express. We find that Mars-ward flows are frequently observed in the vicinity of the crustal fields, implying that crustal fields may play a key role in producing such flows. The occurrence rate and sunward flux are found higher during solar maximum than solar minimum. However, the occurrence rate and flux of Mars-ward flows are relatively low. This is different from the case at Venus, where the planetward flows can significantly decrease the total escape rates of ions.