Making waves: Mirror Mode structures around Mars observed by the MAVEN
spacecraft
Abstract
We present here an in-depth analysis of one time interval when
quasi-linear mirror mode structures were detected by magnetic field and
plasma measurements as observed by the NASA/Mars Atmosphere and Volatile
EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft. We employ ion and electron spectrometers
in tandem to support the magnetic field measurements and confirm that
the signatures are indeed mirror modes. Wedged against the magnetic
pile-up boundary, the low-frequency signatures lasted on average
~10 s with corresponding sizes of the order of 15-30
upstream solar wind proton thermal gyroradii, or 10-20 proton gyroradii
in the immediate wake of the quasi-perpendicular bow shock. Their
peak-to-peak amplitudes were of the order of 30-35 nT with respect to
the background field, and appeared as a mixture of dips and peaks,
suggesting that they may have been at different stages in their
evolution. Situated in a marginally stable plasma with
β|| ~ 1, we
hypothesise that these so-called magnetic bottles, containing a
relatively higher energy and denser ion population with respect to the
background plasma, were formed upstream of the spacecraft behind the
quasi-perpendicular shock. These signatures are very reminiscent of
magnetic bottles found at other unmagnetised objects such as Venus and
comets, also interpreted as mirror modes. Our case study constitutes the
first unambiguous detection of mirror modes around Mars, which had up
until now only been surmised because of the lack of high-temporal
resolution plasma measurements.