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Observations of Small Large-Amplitude Magnetic Structures (SLAMS) at Mars by MAVEN
  • Konstantin Kim,
  • Sergey Shuvalov
Konstantin Kim
Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Sergey Shuvalov
Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences
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Abstract

According to the different orientations of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), the planetary shock can be either quasi-parallel or quasi-perpendicular. Under quasi-parallel conditions a significant number of solar wind suprathermal particles are reflected from the shock and drift along IMF, forming an extended and highly turbulent region called the foreshock where various nonlinear plasma phenomena are observed. In this research, we perform a case study of the structures in the foreshock region at Mars observed by Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN). We use data from plasma analyzer STATIC and magnetometer MAG to analyze ion beams angular spectrum and magnetic field dynamics. We show that the observed structures are consistent with Short Large-Amplitude Magnetic Structures (SLAMS), commonly detected in foreshock regions of magnetized and unmagnetized bodies throughout the Solar system. Finally, we calculate the magnetic Mach number to analyze the characteristics of the observed foreshock structures. The analysis shows, that SLAMS are formed by the resonance between plasma waves propagating along the IMF and the backstreaming scattered solar wind H+ and exospheric O+ and O2+ ions, with the dominant impact of O2+ ions.