Global survey of ion flow acceleration within current sheets in the Martian magnetosphere with MAVEN

We conduct a global survey of sunward and anti-sunward ion jets within current sheets around Mars by utilizing MAVEN data obtained within the Martian magnetosphere. The plasma flows accelerated along and within current sheets, sometimes referred to as plasma jets, are often thought of as a measurable indicator of magnetic reconnection. Although magnetic reconnection has been postulated to be implicated in many phenomena observed in the Martian magnetosphere, the global distributions and upstream driver dependences of reconnection signatures remain largely unexplored. We investigate statistical properties of ion jets within current sheets in the dayside and nightside magnetosphere of Mars by utilizing an automated procedure to identify ion flow velocity deviations during current sheet crossings from the MAVEN data, obtaining the following results: (a) both of the sunward and anti-sunward ion jets embedded within current sheets are commonly found over a wide range of solar zenith angles, altitudes, and geographic locations in the Martian magnetosphere; (b) on average, the sunward and anti-sunward jets are accompanied by the magnetic field configuration and topology consistent with those expected for reconnection; (c) the jets appear to be observed irrespective of upstream driver conditions; and (d) the identified current sheets are generally thin and embedded in low beta plasma. The ubiquitous presence of ion jets and current sheets seemingly capable of reconnection implies that magnetic reconnection could take place commonly in many locations in the Martian magnetosphere.