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The Influence of Solar Irradiation and Solar Wind Conditions on Heavy Ion Escape From Mars
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  • Qi Zhang,
  • Mats Holmström,
  • Xiao-Dong Wang,
  • Hans Nilsson,
  • Stas Barabash
Qi Zhang
Swedish Institute of Space Physics

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Mats Holmström
Swedish Institute of Space Physics
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Xiao-Dong Wang
Swedish Institute of Space Physics
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Hans Nilsson
Swedish Institute of Space Physics
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Stas Barabash
Swedish Institute of Space Physics
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Abstract

We apply a recently proposed method to estimate heavy ion escape from Mars. The method combines in situ observations with a hybrid plasma model, which treats ions as particles and electrons as a fluid. With this method, we investigate how solar upstream conditions, including solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation, solar wind dynamic pressure, and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) strength and cone angle, affect the heavy ion loss. The results indicate that the heavy ion escape rate is greater in high EUV conditions. The escape rate increases with increasing solar wind dynamic pressure, and decreases as the IMF strength increases. The ion escape rate is highest when the solar wind is parallel to the IMF and lowest when they are perpendicular. The plume escape rate decreases when the solar wind convective electric field increases.
30 Jun 2023Submitted to ESS Open Archive
09 Jul 2023Published in ESS Open Archive