火星电离层峰值密度的经验模式研究

The peak electron density (Nm) is one of the key parameters to describe the Martian ionosphere. China plans to send a spacecraft to Mars by 2020. The spatial-temporal variations of the Martian ionosphere is one of the objectives and the related research is under way. The observation of the Martian ionosphere is continuously increasing so that an empirical model is urgently developed to describe the spatial-temporal variations of the Martian ionosphere. Here we use the Nm, which are determined from the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS) on board the Mars Express (MEX) satellite during 2005 - 2016, to construct a climatology model. This model will reconstruct or predict the temporal variations, including daily, season and solar cycle variations, over the regional/global ionosphere of the Mars. The project is useful to understand the climatology of the Martian ionosphere and will provide help to our Mars mission.

火星电离层峰值密度（Nm）是描述火星电离层形态的一个非常重要的参量。我国即将开展的火星探测计划将电离层的变化特征作为主要探测和研究目标之一，相关预研工作已经展开。火星电离层的观测已日趋丰富，构建一个经验模式以描述火星电离层Nm的区域/全球形态及其随时间的变化便成为当前十分迫切的任务。项目拟利用火星快车搭载的顶部电离层探测雷达长达一个太阳活动周（2005-2016）的数据，以Nm的时空变化特征为研究对象，采用经验正交函数方法，综合考察引起火星电离层变化的不同控制因素并参量化，构建火星电离层区域/全球的Nm的经验模式，用以描述不同空间尺度的Nm的形态特征及其随时间的变化（周日变化、季节变化和长期变化等）。在此基础上，项目不仅有助于加强对火星电离层的气候学特征的认识，也能为我国火星计划的科学研究工作提供基础。