Paleo-Magnetospheres of Earth and Mars: Possible implications for their ancient atmospheres
- Author(s)
- Manuel Scherf, Maxim L. Khodachenko, Igor Alexeev, Colin Johnstone, Lin Tu, Manuel Güdel
- Abstract
We present simulations of the terrestrial and Martian paleo-magnetosphere for 4.1-4.0 billion years (Gyr) ago, which were performed with adapted versions of the Paraboloid Magnetospheric Model (PMM) of the Skobeltsyn Institute for Nuclear Physics of the Moscow State University. For the Earth our simulations show that the paleo-magnetosphere was significantly smaller than today, with a standoff-distance ranging from 3.4 to 8.2 earth radii, depending on the chosen input parameters. Our simulations also show that the Martian paleo-magnetosphere should have been comparable in size to the terrestrial paleo-magnetosphere until its cessation about 4.0 Gyr ago. At Earth, a nitrogen-dominated atmosphere would not have survived the harsh conditions during the late Hadean eon, i.e. 4.1 Gyr ago, whereas a CO2-dominated atmosphere could have survived.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Astrophysics
- External organisation(s)
- Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (ÖAW), University of Texas, Austin, Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology
- Publication date
- 09-2017
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 103003 Astronomy, 103004 Astrophysics
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/d6b30486-00e2-4473-8b29-32508a97709b