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Crustal Magnetic Field Advection on Mars by Ionospheric Plasma Flow
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  • Isabela de Oliveira,
  • Markus Fränz,
  • Ezequiel Echer,
  • Adriane Marques de Souza Franco
Isabela de Oliveira
National Institute for Space Research

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Markus Fränz
Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung
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Ezequiel Echer
National Institute for Space Research (INPE)
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Adriane Marques de Souza Franco
National Institute for Space Research
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Abstract

The plasma environment of Mars is highly influenced by crustal remnant magnetism in the
planet. In this work, we do statistical analyses of MAVEN and MGS data to study whether the
ionospheric plasma flow can move crustal magnetic field lines, by advection. Due to the day-tonight
flow of the plasma, the magnetic field lines are expected to be dragged away in anti-solar
direction, causing a shift between observed and modeled field. The results show that a small shift
can be observed above weak anomalies on the Northern hemisphere, where the ionospheric
plasma flow is less perturbed by strong magnetic fields. To investigate the relative forces
between the moving plasma and the crustal field, we also calculated dynamic, magnetic and
thermal pressures, since they are involved in the advection process. In general, the dynamic
pressure is lower than the other two, but this does not mean advection cannot occur, because the
process is not simply a pressure balance, but a diffusive process. The calculation shows that, if
advection occurs on Mars, the speed at which the crustal field lines are displaced is much smaller
than the speed of the ionospheric plasma flow.