Icarus最新文献

{"title":"Hypervelocity impact experiments in iron alloy targets","authors":"Yangyu Lu ,&nbsp;Meng-Hua Zhu ,&nbsp;Qiang Wu ,&nbsp;Siyuan Ren","doi":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116575","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116575","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this work, we conducted hypervelocity impact experiments on iron alloy targets (FeNi36 and stainless steel SS304) at various impact angles using a two-stage light-gas gun. Our investigation focuses on the structure of impact craters formed on metallic targets, with implications for understanding potential crater formation on metal asteroids, such as those on Psyche. Our results show distinct differences in the crater morphologies of FeNi36 and SS304 targets, particularly in terms of crater size and rim features, which can be attributed to variations in material properties such as hardness and strength. We derived empirical equations from both our current experiments and previous studies with a wide range of iron alloy targets to estimate crater diameter and depth. The experimental results from our oblique impacts on iron alloy targets demonstrate that the variation in crater dimensions (i.e., depth, length, and diameter) primarily follow a <em>sinθ</em> relationship with respect to the impact angle. For metallic targets at oblique impacts, the material properties of both the projectile and target exert a significant influence on crater morphology, particularly at low impact angles, where they notably affect crater length. These findings may provide additional understanding of crater formation process on metal asteroids, such as those on the Psyche asteroid.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13199,"journal":{"name":"Icarus","volume":"435 ","pages":"Article 116575"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143748327","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of pre-existing topography in modulating lunar lava flow widths, depths and channel structure","authors":"Yuan Chen ,&nbsp;James W. Head ,&nbsp;Lionel Wilson ,&nbsp;Mikhail A. Kreslavsky ,&nbsp;Edward Davis ,&nbsp;Xingguo Zeng ,&nbsp;Xin Ren ,&nbsp;Jianjun Liu ,&nbsp;Chunlai Li","doi":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116564","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116564","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lunar volcanism is one of the most important endogenic processes on the Moon. The final morphology of a lava flow depends on (a) the composition of the magma, which determines its rheology, (b) the effusion rate, controlled by the geometry of the dike transferring the magma to the surface and the overpressure in the magma source, (c) the lava cooling behavior influenced by whether the flow is laminar or turbulent, (d) the total volume of magma erupted, and the topography of the surface onto which the lava flows. Thus, studying the morphology of flows sheds light on their eruption conditions, and has implications for the nature of the magma source region. In this study, we document the effects of topography on a well-preserved Eratosthenian-aged lava flow that most likely originated from the volcanic complex around Euler Crater in Mare Imbrium. We assess how the observations can improve our understanding of previous models of lunar lava flow emplacement and cooling behavior. We find that: 1) the pre-existing topography significantly affected the morphology of the flow; 2) several low wrinkle ridges predating the eruption and controlling the flow path underwent significant tectonic modification after lava emplacement; 3) variations in the extent of lava channel/levee structures along the flow are linked to turbulent/laminar flow modes; 4) the emplacement of the lava flow investigated here was probably completed in about a week, occurring in the very early period of regional wrinkle ridge formation. This lava flow history provides new insight into the interplay of regional volcanism and tectonism in Mare Imbrium and late-stage lunar thermal evolution in general.</div></div><div><h3>Key points</h3><div><ul><li><span>•</span><span><div>The geometric and morphological features of lava flows can be significantly affected by pre-existing topography.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>The observed channel within a well-preserved Imbrium lava flow is interpreted to imply a transformation of flow mode from turbulent to laminar.</div></span></li><li><span>•</span><span><div>We deduced the paleo-geological sequence of processes forming this Imbrium lava flow.</div></span></li></ul></div></div>","PeriodicalId":13199,"journal":{"name":"Icarus","volume":"435 ","pages":"Article 116564"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143734993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Surface activity of H2O and CO2 on comet 103P/Hartley2 derived from EPOXI/HRI images","authors":"Yinsi Shou ,&nbsp;Michael Combi ,&nbsp;Lori Feaga ,&nbsp;Valeriy Tenishev ,&nbsp;Tony Farnham ,&nbsp;Nicolas Fougere","doi":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116557","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116557","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>On November 4, 2010, the EPOXI extended the mission of the Deep Impact spacecraft, flew by comet 103P/Hartley 2, and made a series of spectral images in both the infrared and the visible. The High-Resolution Instrument Infrared Spectrometer (HRI-IR) observed the comet and its surrounding coma, enabling maps in the light of the infrared emissions of H<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>O at <span><math><mrow><mn>2</mn><mo>.</mo><mn>7</mn><mspace></mspace><mi>μ</mi><mi>m</mi></mrow></math></span> and CO<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> at <span><math><mrow><mn>4</mn><mo>.</mo><mn>3</mn><mspace></mspace><mi>μ</mi><mi>m</mi></mrow></math></span> to be made. We have extended an inversion method originally developed to map out potential activity on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko from ROSINA mass spectrometer measurements as part of the Rosetta mission to enable making similar nucleus surface activity maps from 2-D images of H<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>O and CO<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> in the inner coma of Hartley 2. Processed close-up column density images show the existence of extended sources for H<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>O and CO<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>. Column density profiles specific to an icy grain extended source are derived based on a simple Monte Carlo grain model, and are used to remove the effects of an extended source from a set of 11 spectral maps of each species taken within 1 h of closest approach. We apply the inversion technique to the processed HRI-IR spectral images to calculate the distribution of potential surface activity of both species over the whole surface. Comparisons are made between the processed images, fitted images from the inversion model, and synthetic images generated by the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) coma model, demonstrating that the derived surface activity distributions can reproduce most patterns in the observed images. Production rates from direct nucleus sublimation during the closet approach period are characterized based on the DSMC model results.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13199,"journal":{"name":"Icarus","volume":"435 ","pages":"Article 116557"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143724695","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Magnetic topology dependence of ionizing electrons on the Martian nightside ionosphere","authors":"Arnob Sarkar ,&nbsp;N.V. Rao ,&nbsp;Pavan D. Gramapurohit ,&nbsp;Umesh R. Kadhane","doi":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116566","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116566","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The interaction between the solar wind and Martian crustal magnetic fields plays a significant role in shaping electron precipitation in the ionosphere, particularly on the nightside. Using five years of data from the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft, this study explores how magnetic topology influences the distribution of ionizing electrons, quantified through the electron impact ionization frequency (EIIF). Data from MAVEN's Solar Wind Electron Analyzer (SWEA) and magnetometer (MAG) were analyzed, with strong and weak crustal field regions defined at observation altitudes using a crustal field model. As expected, the results demonstrate that magnetic topology critically influences the altitude distribution of EIIF on the nightside. However, variations in EIIF across the terminator reveal dynamic and novel patterns. In open and draped topologies, EIIF decreases gradually from the dayside, across the terminator, and onto the nightside. Conversely, closed topologies exhibit a sharper decrease in EIIF across the terminator, characterized by strong altitude dependence. This is attributed to day-to-night transport along cross-terminator closed field lines. Below 600 km on the nightside, EIIF in closed topologies is up to two orders of magnitude lower than in open and draped topologies due to the shielding effect of crustal fields, with stronger shielding observed at lower altitudes. Above 240 km, EIIF in open and draped topologies shows no dependence on crustal field strength and weak dependence on solar wind dynamic pressure (P_sw). In contrast, the EIIF in closed topologies shows a strong dependence on magnetic field strength and a weak dependence on P_sw. These findings provide critical insights into the role of magnetic topology in electron precipitation, aiding the parameterization of electron dynamics in global circulation models of the Martian ionosphere.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13199,"journal":{"name":"Icarus","volume":"435 ","pages":"Article 116566"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143697851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of planetary-scale waves on the stratospheric superrotation in Titan's atmosphere","authors":"Yuan Lian ,&nbsp;Cecilia Leung ,&nbsp;Claire Newman ,&nbsp;Leslie Tamppari","doi":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116561","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116561","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We analyze simulation results from the TitanWRF global circulation model to understand the mechanisms that maintain the equatorial superrotation in Titan's stratosphere. We find that the eddies associated with wave activities can transport angular momentum upgradient to zonal flow, leading to acceleration of the equatorial superrotation. The dominant wave modes identified in this study are consistent with previous studies, with zonal wavenumber 1 being the major contributor to the prograde acceleration. Despite the same conclusion of maintenance of equatorial superrotation <em>via</em> wave-mean interactions, we find that the way waves interact with the zonal flow in TitanWRF is slightly different from some other studies. We confirm our previous findings that in TitanWRF this occurs primarily during a dozen or so annual, short-duration (a few Titan sols) angular momentum “transfer events,” which have a repeatable seasonal pattern but differ slightly in timing and magnitude between years. This is not the case in the Titan Atmosphere Model (TAM), which found milder angular momentum transfers that produced the strongest acceleration of superrotation around solstice in the upper stratosphere and more continuous year-around acceleration in the lower stratosphere. Despite differences in angular momentum transfer across models, we further find that, similar to the TAM wave analysis results, eddies generated by Rossby-Kelvin instabilities may be the major source of prograde angular momentum for the equatorial superrotation, although TitanWRF may also include contributions from the absorption of vertically propagating equatorial Kelvin waves. This differs from our previous work, which suggested barotropic waves were responsible for TitanWRF's solsticial transfer event.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13199,"journal":{"name":"Icarus","volume":"435 ","pages":"Article 116561"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143706120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characterization of lobate scarps at the western rim of the Apollo basin using high-resolution DEMs generated using generative adversarial network (GAN) based approach","authors":"Xijian Li ,&nbsp;Zongyu Yue ,&nbsp;Man Peng ,&nbsp;Kaichang Di ,&nbsp;Biao Wang ,&nbsp;Yexin Wang ,&nbsp;Gregory Michael ,&nbsp;Congzhe Wu ,&nbsp;Jianzhong Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116562","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116562","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chang'e-6 is the first sample-return mission from the lunar farside and has returned samples from the landing site within the Apollo basin on June 25, 2024. Lobate scarps have been identified approximately 300 km northwest of the Chang'e-6 landing site (and at western rim of the Apollo basin). The distribution and morphological characteristics of lobate scarps are crucial for understanding the lunar geological history of the landing area. In this research, we have analyzed the spatial distribution and formation age of lobate scarps at western rim of the Apollo basin. The morphology, dynamical models, and formation ages of lobate scarps are investigated through Mohr-Coulomb measurement and crater size-frequency distribution measurements (CSFD). We generated high-resolution digital elevation models by deep learning method using Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) imagery and Selenological and Engineering Explorer (SELENE) and Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) Digital Elevation Model (SLDEM), which enabled the study of lobate scarps in areas lacking NAC DTM coverage, and their accuracy were thoroughly validated. The displacement-length ratios of the lobate scarps are calculated, with an average of approximately 3.80 %. By calculating the morphological parameters of lobate scarps, inferring their formation ages, and studying their spatial distribution, we find that these lobate scarps are distributed in the highlands nearby the Apollo basin edge. They were formed under horizontal compressive stresses exceeding 400 MPa during the last 80 Ma, which is consistent with the initially totally molten (ITM) model. This finding is further supported by cross-validation with the ²³⁸U/²⁰⁴Pb ratios from lunar far-side samples by the Chang'e-6 mission, challenging the notion that the lunar magma ocean (LMO) can prolong magmatic activity through KREEP.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13199,"journal":{"name":"Icarus","volume":"435 ","pages":"Article 116562"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143697850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exobase and homopause altitudes in the Martian upper atmosphere: Solar cycle variability and response to the 2018 global dust storm","authors":"N.V. Rao ,&nbsp;V. Leelavathi ,&nbsp;Neha Gupta","doi":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116565","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116565","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the composition of volatile gases in the Martian upper atmosphere and the mechanisms governing their escape into outer space is crucial for unraveling planetary evolution. Two critical neutral atmospheric boundaries, the exobase and the homopause, play key roles in this context. In this study, we conducted a detailed analysis of the exobase and homopause altitudes derived from measurements by the Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS) aboard the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft. The exobase and homopause altitudes observed in this study range from 140 to 200 km and 90–135 km, respectively, broadly agreeing with values reported in previous studies. Using extended observations, this study reveals significant interannual variability in these altitudes. Both the exobase and homopause were found to be higher during moderate solar activity compared to solar minimum. During moderate solar activity, these two altitudes rise and fall nearly synchronously, while this coupling weakens during solar minimum. Seasonal trends are also pronounced, with elevated altitudes observed during perihelion and in the summer hemisphere, particularly during the southern summer. These findings suggest that enhanced solar activity during moderate solar periods increases atmospheric heating, elevating atmospheric scale heights and causing the exobase and homopause to rise and fall in-phase. In contrast, during solar minimum, weaker thermal forcing reduces the influence of atmospheric expansion, allowing gravity wave activity to dominate the variability of the homopause. During the 2018 global dust storm (GDS), exobase altitudes were elevated with reduced sinusoidal amplitude, while homopause altitudes exhibited significant fluctuations. These results indicate that thermospheric expansion raises the altitudes of both boundaries during the GDS, but enhanced gravity wave activity introduces substantial fluctuations in the homopause altitude, disrupting its coupling with the exobase and resulting in a phase shift between the variations of these two critical altitudes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13199,"journal":{"name":"Icarus","volume":"435 ","pages":"Article 116565"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143697852","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Morphometrics of polygonal ground on Earth and Mars: Assessing formation mechanisms from orbit","authors":"Derek A. Berman ,&nbsp;Michael T. Mellon","doi":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116558","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116558","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Polygonal ground patterns are meter-to-decameter-scale landforms commonly observed on Earth, Mars, and other planetary bodies. They can form through a variety of processes (periglacial, desiccation, volcanic, jointing) and provide insight into geological and environmental conditions that can influence habitability. We focus on the morphometric analysis of these patterns to determine diagnostic signatures which may be used to remotely distinguish between the different formation mechanisms, particularly when in-situ observations are not available. We conducted a survey of patterned ground at 17 Earth sites and 12 Mars sites to determine the diameter distributions, junction angles, junction valencies, circularities, and aspect ratios to determine the characteristics of each polygon type. Our results showed common clustering of morphometric characteristics amongst similar polygon types, though some ambiguities remain between formation endmembers. The size-frequency distributions and the ratio of 90° to 120° junction angles were strong indicators of formation process. The junction angle ratio also reveals the “maturity” of the networks due to periodic or episodic refracturing. Junction valency, circularity, and aspect ratios, also proved valuable as statistical indicators. Our analysis of polygonal patterns located in the Jezero crater floor and margin unit, along with two sites located at Terby crater, are consistent with both volcanic and tectonic jointing processes. Analysis of Mawrth Vallis is strongly suggestive of desiccation. These findings suggest that similar physical mechanisms control polygon formation across planetary bodies, and the study of these patterns on Mars can provide key insights into its geological and climate history, providing clues to potential habitability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13199,"journal":{"name":"Icarus","volume":"435 ","pages":"Article 116558"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143767473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Masses of binary asteroid systems with strong solar perturbations","authors":"M.I. Varfolomeev ,&nbsp;N.V. Emelyanov","doi":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116546","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116546","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We give refined values for the masses for the following binary asteroid systems with strong solar perturbations: (379) Huenna, (3548) Eurybates-Queta, (3749) Balam, (88611) Teharonhiawako-Sawiskera, (160256) 2002 PD₁₄₉, (341520) Mors-Somnus, (364171) 2006 JZ₈₁, (524531) 2002 XH₉₁, 1998 WW₃₁, and 2003 QY₉₀. The masses were refined by numeric integration of the equations of motion where perturbations from the Sun’s gravity were taken into account. Assuming the satellite orbits to be close to Keplerian, the initial integration parameters and the masses of the systems can be refined by the least-squares method in which the coefficients of the conditional equations are calculated using the Keplerian motion formulae. For some systems with strong solar perturbations (2001 QW₃₂₂, 2006 BR₂₈₄, 2006 CH₆₉, (525462) 2005 EO₃₀₄, (612147) 2000 CF₁₀₅, (612687) 2003 UN₂₈₄) the masses could not be refined since the rms residuals increase when solar perturbations are taken into account, which can be caused by insufficient interval or amount of observations. For most systems, the obtained values for masses are within the error limits of the values obtained using only Keplerian model. However, for a number of satellites, the Keplerian model of motion, which does not take into account solar perturbations, gives significant deviations in the apparent positions exceeding the accuracy of modern observations. These systems are (379) Huenna, (3548) Eurybates-Queta, (3749) Balam, (160256) 2002 PD₁₄₉, and (364171) 2006 JZ₈₁. For the systems for which it was possible to refine the masses, we give elements of their satellites’ osculating orbits for the epoch close to the date of their first observation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13199,"journal":{"name":"Icarus","volume":"434 ","pages":"Article 116546"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143644815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mars ionosphere TEC estimation from MARSIS data: A new approach","authors":"M. Cartacci ,&nbsp;B. Sánchez-Cano ,&nbsp;A. Cicchetti ,&nbsp;R. Noschese ,&nbsp;B. Langlais ,&nbsp;R. Orosei","doi":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116545","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116545","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We describe a new implementation of the Contrast Method (CM) algorithm (<span><span>Picardi and Sorge, 2000</span></span>; <span><span>Ilyushin Ya and Kunitsyn, 2004</span></span>; <span><span>Cartacci et al., 2013</span></span>) used to correct the phase distortion of the echoes recorded by the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) (<span><span>Picardi et al., 2005</span></span>; <span><span>Jordan et al., 2009</span></span>) in its subsurface mode.</div><div>The New CM is designed following an improved approach which allows not only to perform its original task but also to estimate the Total Electron Content (TEC) of the Mars ionosphere with a better accuracy respect to the past (<span><span>Cartacci et al., 2013</span></span>; <span><span>Cartacci et al., 2017</span></span>), in the nightside when the transmitted frequency is close to the ionosphere plasma frequency as well as in the dayside, thanks to a lesser use of theoretical approximations in the method development.</div><div>Moreover, taking advantage of almost 16 years of MARSIS operations, corresponding to about 8700 orbits, we present an improved global map of the night side TEC variations due to the interaction with the Mars crustal magnetic field (<span><span>Safaeinili et al., 2007</span></span>; <span><span>Cartacci et al., 2013</span></span>).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13199,"journal":{"name":"Icarus","volume":"434 ","pages":"Article 116545"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143636296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}