Electron Density Spatial Scales in the Martian Ionosphere

Mars is a planet in proximity to Earth and has potential scope for future human settlements.However, the main problem is its thin atmosphere, which is still getting thinner due to particle escape from its upper atmosphere.This atmospheric loss mainly originates from the ionosphere of Mars [1].Mars has a very dynamic ionosphere due to the direct interaction of solar wind with its upper atmosphere, as the global magnetic field is absent.This dynamic nature of the ionosphere results in the formation of various plasma irregularities, which was observed by remote observations by Mars Express (MEX) [2] and in-situ observations by MAVEN [3].These irregularities generate density structures in the ionosphere, which are magnetically controlled structures as the electrons are frozen in magnetic field lines.This is because the region from ~120 km to ~250 km of Martian ionosphere is considered as the dynamo region where the electrons are magnetized but ions are unmagnetized.The neutral winds govern the motion of ions, resulting in the production of an Electric field, which triggers the generation of irregularities that are electromagnetic in nature [3,4].These structures have different scales depending on the driving mechanism, such as seeding source, growth of instability, etc. Estimation of spatial scales of density structures with directional information is not straightforward.In the present study, we have attempted to bring out the spatial scale sizes of such electron density structures with the help of long-term Magnetometer (MAG) and the Langmuir Probe and Wave (LPW) Data from Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) during 2014-2022.The results from this study will be presented.