1Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley
2Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
3Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences,
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
We investigate the effect of ionization due to electron precipitation on the electron density and total electron content (TEC) in the nightside ionosphere of Mars. As input we use recently reported auroral-like peaked electron spectra that appear to have undergone an acceleration process. The nominal electron density in the nightside ionosphere is very low, so the electron precipation creates a significant increase in the TEC. The regions of ionization are localized in space and correspond to magnetic cusps formed by the interaction of the Martian crustal sources with the interplanetary magnetic field. The most energetic accelerated spectra, hence the largest nightside elecron densities and TECs, appear correlated with solar energetic particle (SEP) events and may represent a previously unknown SEP effect at Mars. The horizontally inhomogeneous regions of ionization will likely distort radio waves used for orbit-to-surface communication and for precise positioning calculations on the nightside of Mars which have not previously been taken into account.
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