Propagation of Transient Perturbations into a Planet's Exosphere: Molecular Kinetic Simulations
Résumé
Atmospheric perturbations such as gravity waves, or perturbations due to the atmospheric interaction with an incident plasma, can affect the composition and the structure of planets' upper atmosphere. Our goal is to study how these perturbations dissipate and propagate into an atmosphere, in particular in the exobase region, which is the transition region between the collisional and collisionless regions. We present results of molecular kinetic simulations describing the evolution of density and temperature in a multi-component atmosphere, in the case of Mars in particular. Results show that atmospheric perturbations' propagation is dependent on the collision rate, and therefore propagates differently depending on the species.