A spherical harmonic Martian crustal magnetic field model that combines
MAVEN and MGS data
Abstract
This paper presents a new highly accurate Martian crustal magnetic field
model (G90). Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and Mars Atmosphere and Volatile
evolution (MAVEN) satellite vector magnetic data are combined to
represent the Martian crustal magnetic fields by spherical harmonic (SH)
functions up to degree 90. We use the conventional least squares measure
to determine the Gauss coefficients, while no regularization was
applied. The internal field and external field are separated by using a
new magnetic field activity proxy from MAVEN data. Dayside and nightside
data selection criteria are also employed to minimize the influence of
the ionospheric field. The resulting model delineates the details of the
crustal field with a spatial resolution of ∼245 km at 120 km altitude.
At satellite altitudes, this model shows a lower misfit than any other
presented model, which indicates that this model is more reliable for
studying the crustal field topology. Due to its high accuracy, this
model will help to address some of the open questions about the Martian
crustal field.