Magnetic Fields and Plasma Motions in a Hybrid Martian Magnetosphere

The Martian magnetosphere contains elements of induced and intrinsic origin. To display them one must use different coordinate systems. Although the solar‐electric coordinate system (Mars Solar Electric [MSE]) adequately describes the main features of the induced magnetosphere, it removes/suppresses aspects caused by the crustal magnetic sources while rotating the spacecraft position to the MSE‐coordinate system and averaging over many orbits. On the other hand, to observe effects of the crustal field one should use the solar orbital coordinates (Mars Solar Orbital [MSO]). To find a compromise and keeping in mind that the most probable value of the clock angle of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) on the Mars orbit is ∼90° we can consider separately cases with positive and negative By components of the IMF. It is shown that dynamics of ion fluxes in the distant regions of the magnetosphere is mainly controlled by induced features. However, reconnection of the draping IMF with crustal field leads to a twisting of the classical draping configuration. Despite of the very intricate local geometry of the crustal field, the low‐order harmonics of the magnetic field and mainly the dipole component determine the reconnection sites, at least, statistically for many Mars rotations. For different signs of the By component of the IMF these sites occur either in the +Y‐MSO or −Y‐MSO hemispheres. As a result, statistically the magnetosphere of Mars looks like a hybrid magnetosphere formed during the solar wind interaction with the obstacle which simultaneously contains an extended ionosphere and a weak dipole magnetic field. Key Points The Martian magnetosphere contains elements of induced and intrinsic origin Dynamics of ion fluxes in the magnetic tail, is mainly controlled by induced features Reconnection of the interplanetary magnetic field with low‐order harmonics of the crustal field leads to twisting of the tail and formation of hybrid magnetosphere