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International audience; The IUVS instrument on MAVEN contains an echelle spectrograph with a novel optical design to enable long-aperture measurements of emission lines in the absence of continuum, intended primarily to measure the H and D Ly α emission lines from the martian upper atmosphere. The main scientific goal of the echelle channel is to measure the H and D Ly α emissions that result from resonant scattering of solar emission and to discover how the H and D densities, temperatures, and escape fluxes vary with location, season, topography, etc. The global D/H ratio of the martian atmosphere is roughly 5 times higher than in the terrestrial atmosphere due to the escape of a large volume of water into space, likely early in the history of Mars. Since H atoms escape faster than D atoms, the D/H ratio increases with time as more water is lost. Earth-based IR observations have indicated large variations in the HDO/H2O ratio in the lower atmosphere from location to location, and possible changes with the atmospheric seasonal cycles [Villanueva et al. 2015]. HST and MEX measurements of the H corona of Mars have shown large (order of magnitude) changes in the H exosphere and escape flux with changing seasons and/or heliospheric distance [Clarke et al. 2014; Chaffin et al. 2014]. A series of observations of D and H with the IUVS echelle channel now show a strong trend in the variation of both emissions, with order of magnitude changes in both species in the upper atmosphere. With the added data expected in Fall 2016, we will be able to determine this trend over a full range of martian solar longitude. These results and a comparison with proposed processes that might lead to the observed changes will be presented.

International audience; Ozone (O3) on Mars is a product of the CO2 photolysis by ultraviolet radiation. It is destroyed with a timescale of less than ~1 hour during the day by the H, OH, and HO2 radicals. This tight coupling between O3 and HOx species makes ozone a sensitive tracer of the odd hydrogen chemistry that stabilizes the CO2 atmosphere of Mars, and ozone measurements offer a powerful constraint for photochemical models. Ozone is also expected to be anti-correlated to water vapour, the source of hydrogen radicals HOx. At high latitudes in winter, the absence of H2O prevents the production of HOx and the chemical lifetime of ozone may increase up to several days. In these conditions, the ozone column abundance usually reaches its largest values of the Martian year and ozone turns into a measurable tracer of the polar vortex dynamics.The Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) is one of nine science instruments aboard the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile and Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft. In the apoapse imaging phase, the spacecraft motion carries the IUVS lines-of-sight across the Martian disk while the scan mirror is used to make transverse swaths. This observation mode allows mapping the ozone vertically-integrated column from its signature in the solar ultraviolet flux backscattered by the surface and the atmosphere.This paper will present an overview of the first year of ozone mapping by IUVS. We will describe in particular the last Mars northern winter (2015) when the largest ozone columns have been observed since the beginning of the MAVEN mission. The data will be compared to prior Earth-based observations and to the SPICAM and MARCI ozone datasets. We will also test our quantitative understanding of the Martian ozone by comparing the IUVS observations to our three-dimensional model with photochemistry.

International audience; We report results from a study of nitric oxide nightglow over the northern hemisphere of Mars during winter. We present observations of the nitric oxide δ and γ band emissions between 190 and 270 nm by the Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph on the MAVEN spacecraft. The emission reveals recombination of N and O atoms dissociated on the dayside of Mars, and is known to trace upper atmosphere hemispheric circulation patterns. We extend previous studies to higher latitudes, finding brighter emissions lower in the atmosphere as predicted from global circulation models. Statistically signicant variability suggests variation of the fluxes of N and O carried from the dayside thermosphere, as well as possible variations of the wind pattern in the nightside thermosphere and mesosphere. We report unexpected variability between the individual components of the nitric oxide band system. We provide statistical characteristics and evaluate possible explanations for this phenomenon.

International audience; Observation of the Martian hot oxygen corona is an important but difficult measurement in planetary science. These energetic oxygen atoms are thought to be primarily produced by dissociative recombination of O2+ in the planet's ionosphere. While the corona is dominated by gravitationally bound particles, the fraction capable of escaping the planet is expected to be the major pathway for oxygen escape from Mars at the present time. Thus, observing the hot oxygen corona provides valuable insight into the planet’s atmospheric evolution. Up until now, characterization of this population has been elusive due to its extremely tenuous nature. We present here altitude profiles of the hot oxygen corona collected by the MAVEN IUVS instrument as part of its investigation of atmospheric escape from Mars. These measurements confirm the presence of this long anticipated feature of the Martian exosphere, and offer an invaluable way of probing the mechanisms driving escape of atomic oxygen at the present day. Correlation with MAVEN EUVM measurements suggests a relationship between coronal density and solar photoionizing flux, supporting the expectation that dissociative recombination in the ionosphere is the primary source of hot oxygen at Mars. The quality and quantity of the dataset provides valuable constraints for the coronal modeling community, and preliminary comparison of the observed gross structure with a Monte Carlo model is presented.

International audience; Mars has been studied extensively at ultraviolet wavelengths starting from Mariner 6 and 7 (Barth et al. JGR, 1971; Stewart, JGR, 1972), Mariner 9 (Barth et al., Icaurs, 1972; Stewart et al. Icarus, 1972), and more recently by SPICAM aboard Mars Express (Leblanc et al., JGR, 2006). The results from these measurements reveal a large variability in the composition and structure of Martian upper atmosphere. However, due to the lack of simultaneous measurements of energy input in the atmosphere, such as solar electromagnetic and particle flux as well as limitations in the observation geometry and data itself, this variability is still not fully understood.We report a comprehensive study of Mars dayglow observations by the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) aboard the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) satellite, focusing on upper atmospheric structure and seasonal variability. The dayglow emission spectra show features similar to previous UV measurements at Mars. The IUVS detected a second, low-altitude peak in the emission profile of OI 297.2 nm, confirmation of the prediction that the absorption of solar Lyman alpha emission is an important energy source there. We find a significant drop in thermospheric scale height and temperature between Ls = 218° and Ls = 337 - 352°, attributed primarily to the decrease in solar activity and increase in heliocentric distance. The CO2+ UVD peak intensity is well correlated with simultaneous observations of solar 17 - 22 nm irradiance at Mars by Extreme Ultraviolet Monitor (EUVM) aboard MAVEN. I will present and discuss the variability in Martian UV dayglow, its dependence on solar EUV irradiance, and the importance of IUVS observations in our current understanding of Mars’ thermosphere.

International audience; Mars has been studied extensively at ultraviolet wavelengths starting from Mariner 6 and 7, Mariner 9, and more recently by SPICAM aboard Mars Express. The results from these measurements reveal a large variability in the composition and structure of the Martian upper atmosphere. However, due to the lack of simultaneous measurements of energy input (such as solar electromagnetic and particle flux), and limitations in the observation geometry and data itself, this variability is still not fully understood.We report a comprehensive study of Mars dayglow observations by the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) aboard the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) satellite, focusing on vertical and global upper atmospheric structure and seasonal variability. The dayglow emission spectra show features similar to previous UV measurements at Mars. IUVS has detected a second, low-altitude peak in the emission profile of OI 297.2 nm, confirming the prediction that the absorption of solar Lyman alpha emission is an important energy source there. We find a significant drop in thermospheric scale height and temperature between Ls = 218° and Ls = 337 - 352°, attributed primarily to the decrease in solar activity and increase in heliocentric distance. The CO2+ UVD peak intensity is well correlated with simultaneous observations of solar 17 - 22 nm irradiance at Mars by Extreme Ultraviolet Monitor (EUVM) aboard MAVEN. Variations of the derived CO2 density also exhibit significant persistent global structure with longitudinal wavenumbers 1, 2 and 3 in a fixed local solar time frame, pointing to non-migrating atmospheric tides driven by diurnal solar heating. We will present and discuss the variability in Martian UV dayglow, its dependence on solar EUV flux, and the importance of IUVS observations in our current understanding of Mars’ thermosphere.

International audience; The Martian ultraviolet dayglow provides information on the basic state of the Martian upper atmosphere. The Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) on NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission has observed Mars at mid and far-UV wavelengths since its arrival in September 2014. In this work, we describe a linear regression method used to extract components of UV spectra from IUVS limb observations and focus in particular on molecular nitrogen (N2) photoelectron excited emissions. We identify N2 Lyman-Birge-Hopfield (LBH) emissions for the first time at Mars and we also confirm the tentative identification of N2 Vegard-Kaplan (VK) emissions. We compare observed VK and LBH limb radiance profiles to model results between 90 and 210 km. Finally, we compare retrieved N2 density profiles to general circulation (GCM) model results. Contrary to earlier analyses using other satellite data that indicated N2 densities were a factor of three less than predictions, we find that N2 abundances exceed GCM results by about a factor of two at 130 km but are in agreement at 150 km.

International audience; The Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph (IUVS) on the MAVEN spacecraft has detected two distinct types of auroral emission on Mars. First, we report the discovery of a low altitude, diffuse aurora spanning much of Mars’ northern hemisphere coincident with a solar energetic particle outburst. IUVS observed northerly latitudes during late December 2014, detecting auroral emission in virtually all nightside observations for ~5 days spanning virtually all geographic longitudes. The vertical profile showed emission down to ~70 km altitude (1 microbar), deeper than confirmed at any other planet. The onset and duration of emission coincide with the observed arrival of solar energetic particles up to 200 keV precipitating directly and deeply into the atmosphere. Preliminary modeling of the precipitation, energy deposition and spectral line emission yields good matches to the observations. These observations represent a new class of planetary auroras produced in the Martian middle atmosphere. Given minimal magnetic fields over most of the planet, Mars is likely to exhibit aurora more globally than Earth.Second, we confirm the existence of small patches of discrete aurora near crustal magnetic fields in Mars' southern hemisphere, as observed previously by SPICAM on Mars Express (Bertaux et al., Nature, 435, 790-794 (2005)). IUVS observed southern latitudes in July and August 2015, detecting discrete auroral emission in ~1% of suitable observations. Limb scans resolved both vertically and along-slit indicate this type of auroral emission was patchy on the scale of ~40 km, and located at higher altitudes ~140 km. The higher altitudes imply a lower energy of precipitating particles. The mix of spectral emissions also differed signficiantly from the diffuse aurora, indicating different excitation and quenching processes.We will discuss the observed properties of the aurora and associated charged particle precipitation, as well as the broader implications of this high-energy deposition into Mars' atmopshere.

International audience; Mars has lost a significant fraction of its initial water inventory to space, as evidenced by surface morphology and an enrichment of the heavy isotope deuterium relative to hydrogen. This loss continues today via thermal Jeans escape of neutral hydrogen from the extended H corona. The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN mission's Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrometer IUVS constrains this escape with high cadence, spatially resolved measurements of the corona in scattered sunlight in the Lyman alpha line of neutral H at 121.6 nm. These measurements indicate spatial variability in the corona never before recognized, with potential effects on reconstructing the escape history of water and on retrieved escape rates from previous spatially unresolved observations. I will present our current progress in retrieving escape rates and density distributions from the IUVS observations, including the degree to which observations of the H corona can constrain the thermospheric general circulation at Mars.

International audience; We present direct number density retrievals of carbon dioxide (CO2) and molecular nitrogen (N2) for the upper atmosphere of Mars using limb scan observations during October and November 2014 by the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph on board NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft. We use retrieved CO2 densities to derive temperature variability between 170 and 220 km. Analysis of the data shows (1) low-mid latitude northern hemisphere CO2 densities at 170 km vary by a factor of about 2.5, (2) on average, the N2/CO2 increases from 0.042 ± 0.017 at 130 km to 0.12 ± 0.06 at 200 km, and (3) the mean upper atmospheric temperature is 324 ± 22 K for local times near 14:00.

International audience; Using the Mars Atmospheric and Volatile EvolutioN mission (MAVEN) Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS), we found periodic longitudinal variations in CO2 density in the Martian atmosphere. The variations exhibit significant structure with longitudinal wave numbers 1, 2, and 3 in an effectively constant local solar time frame, and we attribute this structure to nonmigrating tides. The wave-2 component is dominated by the diurnal eastward moving DE1 tide at the equator and the semidiurnal stationary S0 tide at the midlatitudes. Wave-3 is dominated by the diurnal eastward moving DE2 tide, with possibly the semidiurnal eastward moving SE1 tide causing an amplitude increase at the midlatitudes. Structure in the wave-1 component can be explained by the semidiurnal westward moving SW1 tide.

International audience; The observations of the O I 130.4 nm resonant line performed by the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) aboard the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN) are presented. This emission line is observed during the different orbit phases of MAVEN : disk observations at apoapsis, limb scans at periapsis and coronal scans during the outbound orbit leg. The atomic oxygen density which is an important parameter to understand the heating, composition, dynamics of the Martian upper atmosphere and the temperature at 200 km are retrieved from an automatic inversion algorithm. A set of observations performed by IUVS during the first months of the mission are analyzed to study the variabiity of the atomic oxygen in the Martian upper atmosphere. The derived oxygen density and the temperature at the exobase are in the predicted range (107 - 108 cm-3; 200 – 300K) by the current thermospheric models of Mars. The derived parameters are very sensitive to the absolute calibration of the instrument which is the main source of uncertainty on the results presented.