第九届青年地学论坛

Whistler mode waves are significant plasma waves in the space plasma system, which can effectively interact with electrons to exchange energy. Whistler mode waves are commonly observed in the magnetosphere of magnetized planets, such as Jupiter, Saturn, and Earth. Recently study has shown that whistler mode waves also exist in the Martian magnetosphere. Here, we report an interesting event that the occurrence of distinct whistler mode waves (with a peak spectral density ∼ 0.5×10⁵ V /m) exactly corresponding to the decrease (∼1 order of magnitude) of the superthermal electrons (3 - 20 eV) fluxes by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft in the Martian magnetosphere. The local diffusion coefficients are calculated using electric field components of observed whistler mode wave spectra. The results show that pitch angle diffusion is generally higher by about two orders of magnitude than the momentum diffusion coefficient, which can successfully explain the decrease in superthermal electron fluxes. This current research is important for understanding whistler-driven superthermal electron losses in the Martian magnetosphere.

Whistler, Martian, electron losses