mass composition of the escaping plasma at mars ella carlsson irf kiruna supervisors: professor...

Mass composition of the escaping plasma at Mars

Ella Carlsson IRF Kiruna

Supervisors:

Professor Sverker Fredriksson, LTU

Professor Stas Barabash, IRF

Ella Carlsson IRF Kiruna

Carbon-silicate cycle

Ella Carlsson IRF Kiruna

Atmosphere• 95% CO2

Ella Carlsson IRF Kiruna

Water related features:

Streamliners

Ella Carlsson IRF Kiruna

Ella Carlsson IRF Kiruna

Water related features:

Gullies

Ella Carlsson IRF Kiruna

Water related features:

Riverbeds

Water related features:

Hematite spheres

Layered rock named ‘Last Chance’Layered rock named ‘Last Chance’

Ripple features in Earth rockRipple features in Earth rock

Water related features:

Cross bedding

Frozen lake?

Ella Carlsson IRF Kiruna

Gamma ray spectrometer…

..finds water

Ella Carlsson IRF Kiruna

?

Ella Carlsson IRF Kiruna

Ella's mission

Solve the problem with the missing carbonates!

Ella Carlsson IRF Kiruna

IMA – Ion Mass Analyzer

A. FedorovElla Carlsson IRF Kiruna

MEX - orbit

Ella Carlsson IRF Kiruna

Ion-beam event

ella@irf.se

Energy-mass matrix

Ella Carlsson IRF Kiruna

Mass-fitting

Ella Carlsson IRF Kiruna

Mass-fitting

Ella Carlsson IRF Kiruna

Ion-beam events

Ella Carlsson IRF Kiruna

Flux ratios

Phobos-2 data (Lundin et al., 1989)

O+ escape rate: 2x1025 s-1

CO2+ escape rate: 4x1024 s-1 (0.29 kgs -1)

Submitted to Icarus

Ella Carlsson IRF Kiruna

Martian atmospherePast: 1-5 bar3 bar - 1.2x1019 kgPresent:6.4 mbar - 2.5x1016 kg

Total amount of escaped CO2+ (4 Gyr)3.7x1016 kg

• XUV• Solar wind• Intrinsic magnetic field

Ella Carlsson IRF Kiruna

Ella Carlsson IRF Kiruna

So why is all this stuff important?

On to Mars!

Ella Carlsson IRF Kiruna

ella@irf.se