414540

Impact of Superthermal Electrons in the Mars’ lower Ionosphere

Article

Last updated: 09 Apr 2025

Subjects

-

Tags

Mathematics & computer sciences and physics.

Abstract

Recent research has increasingly focused on understanding ion escape from Mars' ionosphere, a phenomenon that contributes significantly to atmospheric loss. Various models have emerged to explain the escape of charged particles from the Martian atmosphere, with one prominent explanation being the plasma expansion approach. This model suggests that the ionosphere undergoes continuous ion loss, with hundreds of tons of ions escaping daily. A key factor in this process is the presence of superthermal electrons in the lower Martian ionosphere, which have been observed to play a crucial role in enhancing plasma dynamics. The ionosphere of Mars is composed of three main positive ion species O_2^+,O^+ and CO_2^+ along with superthermal electrons, forming a complex plasma system. To investigate the ion loss processes, we model this system using a set of hydrodynamic fluid equations, incorporating the effects of superthermal electrons. The equations are reduced using a self-similar transformation, simplifying the problem into a set of ordinary differential equations. These equations are solved numerically to determine the plasma expansion characteristics, including ion density, velocity, and electric potential. Our study reveals the significant influence of superthermal electrons on plasma expansion, highlighting their role in enhancing ion escape and altering the plasma's behavior. This approach provides new insights into the complex interactions within the Martian ionosphere and contributes to our understanding of atmospheric evolution on Mars.

DOI

10.21608/ajbas.2025.345745.1241

Keywords

Mars ionosphere, Plasma expansion, Low altitude, Superthermal electrons

Authors

First Name

Nour

Last Name

Asal

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Port Said University, Port Said 42521, Egypt.

Email

nourasl44@gmail.com

City

-

Orcid

0009-0008-7890-1227

First Name

Waleed

Last Name

Moslem

MiddleName

Moslem

Affiliation

Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Port Said University, Port Said 42521, Egypt.

Email

wmmoslem@hotmail.com

City

Port Said

Orcid

0000-0002-5540-5756

First Name

Mossad

Last Name

elmetwaaly

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Port Said University, Port Said 42521, Egypt.

Email

melmetwally@yahoo.com

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Ibraheem

Last Name

Elkamash

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt

Email

elkamashi@gmail.com

City

Mansoura

Orcid

-

Volume

6

Article Issue

2

Related Issue

54819

Issue Date

2025-04-01

Receive Date

2024-12-25

Publish Date

2025-04-01

Page Start

157

Page End

167

Online ISSN

2682-275X

Link

https://ajbas.journals.ekb.eg/article_414540.html

Detail API

http://journals.ekb.eg?_action=service&article_code=414540

Order

4

Type

Original Article

Type Code

947

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Alfarama Journal of Basic & Applied Sciences

Publication Link

https://ajbas.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

Impact of Superthermal Electrons in the Mars’ lower Ionosphere

Details

Type

Article

Created At

09 Apr 2025