Reporters learned from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on the 26th that, based on the observation data of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN) detector, the scientific researchers of the Institute have deeply studied the escaping ion flow in the current sheet of the Martian magnetotail, and found for the first time that the Martian atmospheric ions in the current sheet of the magnetotail sometimes show a high-energy, high-throughput high-speed escape phenomenon. The relevant research results are published online in the Geophysical Research Letters. Mars and Earth are both located in the habitable zone of the solar system. Similar to Earth, Mars also has rich landforms, such as towering mountains, vast plains, and winding waterways. People speculate that about 3.7 billion years ago, Mars may also have been a habitable planet. However, currently Mars has evolved into a "dead and quiet" planet with a thin, dry, and cold atmosphere. Where exactly does the atmosphere and water of Mars flow? How was it lost? At present, the academic community believes that the solar wind is an important mechanism driving the escape of Martian atmosphere and water. "Because the magnetic field generator in the core of Mars stopped operating about 3.7 billion years ago, Mars lost the global magnetic field that can protect the atmosphere. Therefore, the external solar wind ions can impact the Martian atmosphere without obstacles, and then continue to erode the Martian atmospheric ions and escape to outer space." Rong Zhaojin, the author of the article and a researcher of the Institute of Geology and Earth of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, explained. Through years of satellite observation, scientists have roughly understood the escape laws of Martian atmospheric ions and found that there are two main escape channels for Martian atmospheric ions. "However, scientists still lack a deep understanding of the specific escape process and related physical phenomena," Rong Zhaojin admitted. This time, researchers have conducted in-depth research on the key area of ion escape in the Martian atmosphere - the Martian magnetotail current sheet. They found that there are sometimes high-speed tail ion flows in the Martian magnetotail current sheet, which are mainly composed of heavy ions in the Martian atmosphere. Their energy can reach up to about 1200 electron volts, and the tail escape speed can reach about 100 kilometers per second. "This speed is significantly higher than our traditional cognition. Previous studies have suggested that the ion energy in the Martian magnetotail current sheet generally does not exceed 50 electron volts, and the tail escape speed is only 20 kilometers per second." Rong Zhaojin said that although these activity phenomena occur infrequently, they will significantly enhance the escape of Martian atmospheric ions. Rong Zhaojin stated that this study provides a key factual basis for understanding the physical processes of ion escape in the Martian atmosphere, deepening our understanding of ion escape on Mars. (Lai Xin She)
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