Plasma Acceleration by Magnetic Tension Forces in the Martian Magnetotail: MAVEN Observations
Abstract The Martian magnetotail is a dynamic region where several processes contribute to plasma acceleration. Here, we analyze years of Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) data to evaluate the role of magnetic tension forces in driving plasma acceleration within current sheets in the tail. Based on magnetic field measurements, we identify 547 current sheet crossings that follow a Harris profile and find that the median observed current sheet density is 110 nA , with a typical sheet width of 100 km. We estimate a median normalized of 0.1, and force of N , capable of accelerating planetary ions within the sheets to 1 keV over 2 . We also analyze plasma energization signatures in nine high‐ case studies and find they can be explained by work done by , although observed ion differential streaming suggests additional forces may be present.
Authors
- E. Dubinin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8619-187X)
- K. G. Hanley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6250-7665)
- D. L. Mitchell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9154-7236)
- R. Modolo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5437-9923)
- Shannon Curry (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7463-9419)
- J. S. Halekas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5258-6128)
- R. J. Lillis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0578-517X)
- J. R. Espley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6371-9683)
- Norberto Romanelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9210-0284)
- C. M. Fowler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3431-0739)
- G. A. DiBraccio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2778-4998)
- J. Gruesbeck (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1215-992X)
- Yingjuan Ma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2584-7091)
- S. Ruhunusiri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4089-0234)
- Shaosui Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5121-600X)
- C. Mazelle (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5332-9561)
Institutions
- West Virginia University (US)
- University of Iowa (US)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Planetary Science Institute (US)
- Goddard Space Flight Center (US)
- Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (FR)
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées (FR)
- University of Colorado Boulder (US)
- Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (FR)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- Laboratoire Printemps (FR)
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (US)
- Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (DE)
- Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté (FR)
- Laboratoire atmosphères, milieux, observations spatiales (FR)
- University of Maryland, College Park (US)
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Geophysical Research Letters
- Published
- 2025-12-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1029/2025gl119985
- Primary Topic
- Planetary Science and Exploration
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales
- Goddard Space Flight Center
- Planetary Science Division