[en] The discrete aurorae on Mars were discovered with the SPICAM spectrograph on board Mars Express. Now, they have been analyzed in detail using the much more sensitive MAVEN/IUVS imaging spectrograph.This presentation gives a summary of the very latest results obtained by Schneider et al. and Soret et al. on this topic.The main conclusions are the following:the number of auroral event detections has considerably increased since the Mars Express observations; many detections have been made outside of the Southern crustal magnetic field structures; the MUV spectrum shows the same emissions as those observed in the dayglow, with similar intensity ratios; the Vegard-Kaplan bands of N2 have been observed for the first time in the Martian aurora; the CO Cameron and the CO2+ UVD emissions occur at the same altitude; the OI emission at 297.2 nm has been analyzed; the CO Cameron/CO2+ UVD ratio is quasi-constant; intensities are higher in B-field regions; auroral emissions are more frequent in the pre-midnight sector; the altitude of the emission layer is independent of local time and presence or absence of a crustal magnetic field; the altitude of the emission layer varies moderately with season (atmospheric effect); the events are spatially correlated with an increase in the flux of energetic electrons simultaneously measured by the MAVEN/SWEA (Solar Wind Electron Analyzer) detectors; the peak altitude of the emission is in good agreement with that expected from the average electron energy.
Disciplines :
Space science, astronomy & astrophysics
Author, co-author :
Soret, Lauriane ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'astrophysique, géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Labo de physique atmosphérique et planétaire (LPAP)
Milby, Zachariah
Gérard, Jean-Claude ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'astrophysique, géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Labo de physique atmosphérique et planétaire (LPAP)
Schneider, Nick
Jain, Sonal
Ritter, Birgit
Language :
English
Title :
All that is known about Mars discrete aurorae so far