Hot carbon densities in the exosphere of Mars

Theoretical results of hot carbon densities in the exosphere of Mars are presented. The calculation is a two-step process: First a two-stream transport code is used to solve for the distribution function at the exobase, and then these results are used in a Liouville equation solution above the exobase. It is found that photodissociation of carbon monoxide is the largest source of hot carbon atoms in the upper atmosphere of Mars, larger than dissociative recombination of CO⁺ and much larger than the creation of hot carbon through collisions with hot oxygen atoms. It is also found that the high solar activity densities are about an order of magnitude larger than those for the low solar activity case.