Mallika Dureja
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Web Desk for India Today The first indication of the existence of lone waves around Mars has been discovered by a team of Indian scientists. Through wave-particle interactions, these solitary waves, which are discrete electric field fluctuations in the Martian magnetosphere, regulate particle energization, plasma loss, and transport.
The Langmuir Probe and Waves instrument on NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) satellite gathered high-resolution electric field data that allowed researchers from the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG) to identify and describe the solitary waves in the Martian magnetosphere.
The study of 450 solitary wave pulses detected by the MAVEN spacecraft during its five orbits around Mars in February 2015 has been published in The Astrophysical Journal.
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Suggesting past widespread water and possible microbial life 🦠 pic.twitter.com/Kr3w0cNOqt
— Latest in space (@latestinspace) January 12, 2023
A variety of electromagnetic and electrostatic waves are supported by the plasma environments of Earth and planetary space. To improve our understanding of the ambient plasma conditions and fundamental physical processes taking place in those places, these plasma waves are extensively researched using observations, theory, and simulations.
According to researchers, the Earth resembles a massive magnet, and its magnetic field shields us from the solar wind, which is the Sun’s continual emission of high-speed charged particles. For Mars, things are different. The high-speed solar wind cannot directly interact with the atmosphere of Mars due to the lack of an inherent magnetic field on the Red Planet, acting as an obstruction in the flow.
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According to theories, solitary waves can be frequently seen even in a weak and shallow magnetosphere, like the one on Mars. But up until now, they had stayed undercover. According to recent findings, the magnetosphere on Mars is dynamically weak but generated as a direct result of solar winds interacting directly with the planet’s atmosphere.
“Bipolar or monopolar solitary waves are unique electric field variations that exhibit constant amplitude-phase relationships. The propagation process has less of an impact on their size and shape. Around Mars, these pulses are primarily observed in the morning and afternoon-dusk sectors at altitudes of 1000-3500 km “According to a statement from the Ministry of Science and Technology.
The team is further examining these waves’ role in the particle dynamics in the Martian magnetosphere and whether they have any bearing on the loss of atmospheric ions on Mars because it is known that they are responsible for plasma energization and its transport in the Earth’s magnetosphere.
