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The Effects of Different Drivers on the Induced Martian Magnetosphere Boundary: A Case Study of September 2017
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  • Christy L Lentz,
  • Daniel N. Baker,
  • Laila Andersson,
  • Scott Alan Thaller,
  • Christopher M Fowler,
  • Trevor Leonard
Christy L Lentz
University of Colorado at Boulder

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Daniel N. Baker
University of Colorado Boulder
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Laila Andersson
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP)
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Scott Alan Thaller
University of Colorado Boulder
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Christopher M Fowler
Space Sciences Laboratory, UC Berkeley
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Trevor Leonard
University of Colorado Boulder
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Abstract

The Magnetic Pileup Boundary or Induced Magnetosphere Boundary (IMB) has been an enigma in Mars aeronomy. Previously dubbed the planetopause, magnetopause, ion-composition boundary, and protonopause, identification of this unique plasma region has been marked by difficulty. In this case study, we used data from the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission to identify IMB crossings and configurations during the month of September 2017 with a particular focus on the 10 September 2017 solar events. It was concluded that the ICME had no statistically significant impact on the IMB standoff locations. This study also investigated the effects of upstream dynamic pressure, thermal pressure from the magnetosheath, magnetic pressure from the Magnetic Pileup Region (MPR), thermal pressure associated with the ionosphere, and Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) irradiance on the IMB during September 2017. We have found that during the 163 IMB crossings, magnetic pressure in the MPR and thermal pressure in the ionosphere had the largest influence on the IMB standoff distance.
Feb 2021Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics volume 126 issue 2. 10.1029/2020JA028105