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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 4, 2025

Visualizing Visual Adaptation

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Published on: April 24, 2017

Making Waves: Mirror Mode Structures Around Mars Observed by the MAVEN Spacecraft.

Cyril Simon Wedlund¹, Martin Volwerk¹, Christian Mazelle²

¹Space Research Institute Austrian Academy of Sciences Graz Austria.

Journal of Geophysical Research. Space Physics

|July 21, 2022

Summary

Scientists identified mirror mode structures, or magnetic bottles, at Mars using spacecraft data. These structures, observed near the bow shock, are consistent with those found at Venus and comets.

Keywords:

Mars NASA/MAVEN magnetosheath mirror modes plasma instability quasi‐perpendicular bow shock

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Area of Science:

Space Physics
Planetary Science
Plasma Physics

Background:

Mirror modes are plasma instabilities characterized by alternating regions of increased and decreased magnetic field strength.
Previous observations of mirror modes have been made at other unmagnetized bodies like Venus and comets.
Understanding these structures is crucial for characterizing plasma interactions at planetary bodies.

Purpose of the Study:

To present the first definitive identification and characterization of mirror modes at Mars.
To analyze the properties of mirror mode structures using multi-instrument spacecraft data.
To investigate the formation and evolution of these structures in the Martian environment.

Main Methods:

Utilized magnetic field and plasma measurements from the NASA/Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft.
Employed ion and electron spectrometers in conjunction with magnetic field data to confirm mirror mode signatures.
Analyzed low-frequency signatures, their duration, size, and amplitude relative to the background magnetic field.

Main Results:

Detected quasi-linear mirror mode structures near the magnetic pile-up boundary and in the wake of the quasi-perpendicular bow shock.
Characterized these structures as lasting approximately 10 seconds, with sizes of 10-30 proton gyroradii.
Observed peak-to-peak amplitudes of 30-35 nT and identified them as magnetic bottles containing denser, higher-energy ions.

Conclusions:

The observed signatures are unequivocally identified as mirror modes, marking the first such confirmation at Mars.
The findings suggest these magnetic bottles form upstream of the spacecraft, likely behind the quasi-perpendicular bow shock.
This study highlights the importance of high-temporal resolution plasma measurements for in-depth analysis of plasma phenomena.