Modeling of plasma and magnetic field transport through the Martian magnetosphere on the basis of a three-dimensional hybrid simulation / Extension to a multi-species-ionosphere and code parallelization

• Applicant: Professor Uwe Motschmann, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Geophysics
• Term: from 2003 to 2008
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5417797

The transport of plasma and magnetic field through the magnetosphere of Mars will be investigated by a three-dimensional hybrid code simulation. It is intended to tie in with the observations of the Phobos-2 and Mars Global Surveyor missions and to model the global three-dimensional plasma and magnetic field structures near Mars. Particularly, the plasma boundaries will be studied and their physical nature will be examined on a microscopic-kinetic basis of the hybrid description. The understanding of the transport/non-transport of mass, momentum, and energy through the magnetic pileup boundary plays the key role. The plasma transport is immediately associated with the evacuation of the atmosphere and the dehydration of Mars. Escape and loss rates will be simulated for the present situation of Mars and also for expected prehistoric conditions where Mars could have had a much denser atmosphere and an internal planetary magnetic field. The goal of the project is to clarify open questions about the plasma and magnetic field structures near Mars, and to derive a quantitative model for the water balance on Mars.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1115: Mars and the Terrestrial Planets