Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and its interaction with the solar wind is a quite interesting subject tostudy. While it is a rocky planet it doesn't have an intrinsic magnetic eld, but an ionosphere, created by thephotoionization of a relatively thin atmosphere. In addition there are magnetic "patches" on its surface, remnantsof an ancient fossilized magnetic eld. All these factors make the study of its interaction with the solar wind quiteintriguing. In this work we tried to extract information about the electron population and the magnetic eld intensity aroundthe planet, but also about the corresponding pressures to those magnitudes: electron -thermal- and magneticpressure respectively. Also, we tried to determine the position of the magnetic pileup boundary (MPB) andcompare it to the theoretical one, and lastly, we search for any possible structures along the MPB -both aboveand below it- by analyzing the ratio of the above mentioned pressures.We used data collected by Mars AdvancedRadar for Subsurface andIonosphereSounding (MARSIS), in a period of almost 9 years - December 2005 to May2014.

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Using a two-dimensional hybrid simulation, we study the physics of the interaction of the solar wind with a localized magnetic field concentration, or “magcon,” on the Moon. Our simulation treats the solar wind protons kinetically and the electrons as a charge-neutralizing fluid. This approach is necessary because the characteristic scale of the magcon is of the same order or smaller than the proton inertial length—the characteristic scale in the hybrid simulation. Specifically, we consider a case in which the incident solar wind flows exactly normal to the lunar surface, and the magcon is represented by a simple dipole whose moment is parallel to the surface, with a center just below it. We find that while the magcon causes the solar wind to be deflected and decelerated, it does not completely shield the lunar surface anywhere. However, protons which impact the surface in the center of the magnetic anomaly have energies well below the solar wind ram energy. Thus, in this region, any backscattered neutral particles resulting from the interaction of solar wind protons with the lunar regolith would have energies lower than that of the solar wind. Moreover, very few neutrals, if any, would emanate from within the magcon with energies comparable to the solar wind energy. This may explain recent observations of lunar energetic neutral atoms associated with a strong crustal magnetic anomaly. Our study also finds that a significant fraction of the incoming solar wind protons are reflected back into space before reaching the surface. These particles are reflected by a strong electrostatic field which results from the difference in the proton and electron inertia. The reflected particles are seen at very high altitudes above the Moon, over 200 km, and over a much broader spatial scale than the magcon, several hundred kilometers at least. Our simulation also revealed a second population of reflected particles which originate from the side of the magcon where the interplanetary and magcon magnetic fields are directed opposite to one another, leading to a magnetic topology much like magnetic reconnection. As previously reflected particles move through this region, they are deflected upward, away from the surface, forming a second component. Our simulation has a number of similarities to recent in situ spacecraft observations of reflected ions above and around magcons.

We use a method developed by Roberts. that optimizes the phase angles of an ensemble of plane waves with amplitudes determined from a Kolmogorov-like power spectrum, to construct magnetic field vector fluctuations having nearly constant magnitude and large variances in its components. This is a representation of the turbulent magnetic field consistent with that observed in the solar wind. Charged-particle pitch-angle diffusion coefficients are determined by integrating the equations of motion for a large number of charged particles moving under the influence of forces from our predefined magnetic field. We tested different cases by varying the kinetic energy of the particles (E-p) and the turbulent magnetic field variance (sigma(2)(B)). For each combination of E-p and sigma(2)(B), we tested three different models: (1) the so-called "slab" model, where the turbulent magnetic field depends on only one spatial coordinate and has significant fluctuations in its magnitude (b=root delta B-x(2)(z)+ delta B-y(2)(z) + B-0(2)); (2) the slab model optimized with nearly constant magnitude b; and. (3) the slab model turbulent magnetic field with nearly constant magnitude plus a "variance-conserving" adjustment. In the last case, this model attempts to conserve the variance of the turbulent components (sigma(2)(Bx) + sigma(2)(By)), which is found to decrease during the optimization with nearly constant magnitude. We found that there is little or no effect on the pitch-angle diffusion coefficient D mu mu between. models 1 and 2. However, the result from model 3. is significantly different. We also introduce a new method to accurately determine the pitch-angle diffusion coefficients as a function of mu.

Thesis. 1978. Ph.D.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Physics. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND SCIENCE. / Vita. / Includes bibliographical references. / by Edward Charles Sittler, Jr. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Open University. BLDSC no. DXN024724.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 133-140).

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