MARTIAN ULTRAVIOLET AURORA: RESULTS OF MODEL SIMULATIONS

We present recent modeling results based on observations performed with the UV spectrographs on board the Mars Express and MAVEN missions.Two types of aurora are discussed: the localized and transient discrete aurora and the more stable diffuse aurora observed during periods of active solar periods.CODYMA

The Atmospheric Chemistry Suite (ACS) of Three Spectrometers for the ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter

The Atmospheric Chemistry Suite (ACS) package is an element of the Russian contribution to the ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) mission. ACS consists of three separate infrared spectrometers, sharing common mechanical, electrical, and thermal interfaces. This ensemble of spectrometers has been designed and developed in response to the Trace Gas Orbiter mission objectives that specifically address the requirement of high sensitivity instruments to enable the unambiguous detection of trace gases of potential geophysical or biological interest. For this reason, ACS embarks a set of instruments achieving simultaneously very high accuracy (ppt level), very high resolving power (>10,000) and large spectral coverage (0.7 to 17 μm—the visible to thermal infrared range). The near-infrared (NIR) channel is a versatile spectrometer covering the 0.7–1.6 μm spectral range with a resolving power of ∼20,000. NIR employs the combination of an echelle grating with an AOTF (Acousto-Optical Tunable Filter) as diffraction order selector. This channel will be mainly operated in solar occultation and nadir, and can also perform limb observations. The scientific goals of NIR are the measurements of water vapor, aerosols, and dayside or night side airglows. The mid-infrared (MIR) channel is a cross-dispersion echelle instrument dedicated to solar occultation measurements in the 2.2–4.4 μm range. MIR achieves a resolving power of >50,000. It has been designed to accomplish the most sensitive measurements ever of the trace gases present in the Martian atmosphere. The thermal-infrared channel (TIRVIM) is a 2-inch double pendulum Fourier-transform spectrometer encompassing the spectral range of 1.7–17 μm with apodized resolution varying from 0.2 to 1.3 cm−1. TIRVIM is primarily dedicated to profiling temperature from the surface up to ∼60 km and to monitor aerosol abundance in nadir. TIRVIM also has a limb and solar occultation capability. The technical concept of the instrument, its accommodation on the spacecraft, the optical designs as well as some of the calibrations, and the expected performances for its three channels are described

Kinetic Monte Carlo Model for the Precipitation of High-Energy Protons and Hydrogen Atoms into the Atmosphere of Mars Taking into Account the Measured Magnetic Field

Results of model computations of the interaction of the high-energy protons and hydrogen atoms (H/H+) precipitating into the Martian atmosphere are presented. These computations were performed using a modification of the kinetic Monte Carlo model developed earlier for the analysis of the data from the MEX/ASPERA-3 instrument onboard the Mars Express spacecraft and the MAVEN/SWIA instrument onboard the MAVEN spacecraft. In this modification of the model, an arbitrary (three-dimensional) structure of the magnetic field of Mars is taken into account for the first time. With local measurements of all three components of the magnetic field, not only the flux of protons penetrating into the atmosphere, but also the degradation of the H/H+ flux along the spacecraft orbit and the formation of upward fluxes of protons and hydrogen atoms scattered by the atmosphere, can now be described. A comparison of simulations and measurements of proton fluxes at low altitudes are used to infer the efficiency of charge exchange between the solar wind and the extended Martian hydrogen corona. It was found that the induced magnetic field plays a very important role in the formation of the proton flux back-scattered by the atmosphere and strongly controls its magnitude

The Martian diffuse aurora: a model of ultraviolet and visible emissions

A new type of Martian aurora, characterized by an extended spatial distribution, an altitude lower than the discrete aurora and electron precipitation up to 200 keV has been observed following solar activity on several occasions from the MAVEN spacecraft. We describe the results of Monte Carlo simulations of the production of several ultraviolet and violet auroral emissions for initial electron energies extending from 0.25 to 200 keV. These include the CO2+ ultraviolet doublet (UVD) at 288.3 and 289.6 nm and the Fox–Duffendack–Barker (FDB) bands, CO Cameron and Fourth Positive bands, OI 130.4 and 297.2 nm and CI 156.1 nm and 165.7 nm multiplets. We calculate the nadir and limb production rates of several of these emissions for a unit precipitated energy flux. Our results indicate that electrons in the range 50-200 keV produce maximum CO2+ UVD emission below 75 km, in agreement with the MAVEN observations. We calculate the efficiency of photon production per unit precipitated electron power. The strongest emissions are the CO2+ FDB, UVD and CO Cameron bands and the oxygen mission at 297.2 nm. The metastable a 3Π state which radiates the Cameron bands is deactivated by collisions below about 110 km. As a consequence, we show that the Cameron band emission is expected to peak at a higher altitude than the CO2+ UVD and FDB bands. Collisional quenching also causes the intensity ratio of the CO2+ UVD to CO Cameron bands to increase below ∼100 km in the energetic diffuse aurora.CODYMA

Nonthermal O(1S) and O(1D) populations in cometary atmospheres

Recent developments in the field of cometary science have motivated many studies dealing with the nucleus composition and mineralogy, and also with the photochemistry of the coma. In particular, ground based observations have shown that the visible oxygen emissions at 557.7 and 630 nm, both belonging to the Rosetta-VIRTIS-M passband, present different line profiles, pointing to specific photochemical processes. In this work, we present a Monte Carlo simulation of the O(1D) and O(1S) photochemistry including photodissociation of H2O, CO2 and CO, quenching, collisional thermalization and radiative decay. The model solves Boltzmann's integro differential equation including sources and sinks, as well as a prescribed expansion velocity of the coma. The energy distribution functions (EDF's) of O(1S) and O(1D) are computed at cometocentric distances ranging between 10 and 5000 km. We find that the EDF's of both O(1D) and O(1S) are strongly nonthermal, up to a degree that sharply varies with cometocentric distance, as thermalization is less efficient when the density of the dominant species is reduced. It follows that the Doppler profile of the visible radiations emitted by both species is non-gaussian in a frame of reference moving with the expanding coma. The nonthermal volume emission rate is then integrated along a set of chosen line of sights, accounting for the explicit Doppler profiles derived from the EDF's as well as the expansion motion, and the Doppler profile of the full coma is computed. It appears that most of the line width is due to the expansion motion, although the detailed line shape remains sensitive to the nonthermal nature of the EDF's. Our computation can then be compared with the line profiles observed from the ground with the UVES spectrograph mounted on the ESO-VLT

Mars emissions from CO and CO2+: IUVS-MAVEN limb observations and model

The IUVS Ultraviolet spectrograph (McClintock et al. 2014) on board MAVEN has been collecting thousands of airglow (Jain et al. 2015) or auroral (Schneider et al., 2015) limb profiles in the range 120 to 340 nm (Fig. 1) since November 2014. We have analyzed more that three years of airglow observations and compared them to model simulations. MAVEN has been quasi-continuously collecting airglow observations since November 2014, covering more than 1.5 Martian year and various latitudes ranges. The main features are emissions from CO, CO2+, O, N2 and C. In this work, we compare the characteristics of the CO2+ ultraviolet doublet (UVD) limb profiles with model simulations. From this comparison, we derive the CO2 column density above the 120-130 km region.PRODEX NOMA

Mapping the electron energy in Jupiter’s aurora: Hubble spectral observations

Far ultraviolet spectral observations have been made with the Hubble Space Telescope in the time-tag mode using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) long slit. The telescope was slewed in such a way that the slit projection scanned from above the polar limb down to midlatitudes, allowing us to build up the first spectral maps of the FUV Jovian aurora. The shorter wavelengths are partly absorbed by the methane layer overlying part of the auroral emission layer. The long-wavelength intensity directly reflects the precipitated energy flux carried by the auroral electrons. Maps of the intensity ratio of the two spectral regions have been obtained by combining spectral emissions in two wavelength ranges. They show that the amount of absorption by methane varies significantly between the different components of the aurora and inside the main emission region. Some of the polar emissions are associated with the hardest precipitation, although the auroral regions of strong electron precipitation do not necessarily coincide with the highest electron energies. Outputs from an electron transport model are used to create maps of the distribution of the characteristic electron energies. Using model atmospheres adapted to auroral conditions, we conclude that electron energies range between a few tens to several hundred keV. Comparisons of derived energies are in general agreement with those calculated from magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling models, with values locally exceeding the standard model predictions. These results will provide useful input for three-dimensional modeling of the distribution of particle heat sources into the high-latitude Jovian upper atmosphere

Analytical estimate for low-altitude ENA emissivity

We formulate the first analytical model for energetic neutral atom (ENA) emissivity that partially corrects for the global viewing geometry dependence of low-altitude emissions (LAEs) observed by Two Wide-angle Imaging Neutral-atom Spectrometers (TWINS). The emissivity correction requires the pitch angle distribution (PAD) and geophysical location of low-altitude ENAs. To estimate PAD, we create an energy-dependent analytical model, based on a Monte Carlo simulation. We account for energy binning by integrating model PAD over each energy bin. We account for finite angular pixels by computing emissivity as an integral over the pitch angle range sampled by the pixel. We investigate location uncertainty in TWINS pixels by performing nine variations of the emissivity calculation. Using TWINS 2 ENA imaging data from 1131 to 1145 UT on 6 April 2010, we derive emissivity-corrected ion fluxes for two angular pixel sizes: 4° and 1°. To evaluate the method, we compare TWINS-derived ion fluxes to simultaneous in situ data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 17 satellite. The TWINS-NOAA agreement for emissivity-corrected flux is improved by up to a factor of 7, compared to uncorrected flux. The highest 1° pixel fluxes are a factor of 2 higher than for 4° pixels, consistent with pixel-derived fluxes that are artificially low because subpixel structures are smoothed out, and indicating a possible slight advantage to oversampling the instrument-measured LAE signal. Both TWINS and NOAA ion fluxes decrease westward of 2000 magnetic local time. The TWINS-NOAA comparison indicates that the global ion precipitation oval comprises multiple smaller-scale (3-5° of latitude) structures.CODYMAV; PRODEX - PROgramme de Développement d'Expériences scientifique

The Mars aurora: UV detections and in situ electron flux measurements

International audienceA detailed search through the database of theSPICAM instrument on board Mars Express made itpossible to identify 16 signatures of the CO Cameronand CO2 doublet auroral emissions. These auroralUV signatures are all located in the southern hemisphere in the vicinity of the statistical boundary between open and closed field lines. The energy spectrum of the energetic electrons was simultaneously measured by ASPERA-3/ELS at higher altitude. The UV aurora is generally shifted from the region of enhanced downward electron energy flux by a few to several tens of degrees of latitude, suggesting that precipitation occurs in magnetic cusp like structures along inclined magnetic field lines. The ultraviolet brightness shows no proportionality with the electron flux measured at the spacecraft altitude. The Mars aurora appears as a sporadic short-lived feature. Results of Monte Carlo simulations will be compared with the observed brightness of the Cameron and CO2 + bands