Dependence of the location of the Martian magnetic lobes on the interplanetary magnetic field direction: Observations from Mars Global Surveyor

ROMANELLI, N.; BERTUCCI, C.; GÓMEZ, D.; MAZELLE, C.

Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics

American Geophysical Union

Año: 2015 vol. 120 p. 7737 - 7747

We use magnetometer data from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraftduring portions of the premapping orbits of the mission to study thevariability of the Martian-induced magnetotail as a function of theorientation of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). The time spentby MGS in the magnetotail lobes during periods with positive solar windflow-aligned IMF component B∥IMF suggests that their location aswell as the position of the central polarity reversal layer (PRL) aredisplaced in the direction antiparallel to the IMF cross-flow componentB⊥IMF. Analogously, in the cases where B∥IMF is negative, thelobes are displaced in the direction of B⊥IMF. This behavior iscompatible with a previously published analytical model of the IMFdraping, where for the first time, the displacement of a complementaryreversal layer (denoted as IPRL for inverse polarity reversal layer) isdeduced from first principles.