{
  "abstract": "At unmagnetized planetary bodies, the Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability at the solar-wind boundary is a key driver of atmospheric escape, fundamentally shaping long-term climate evolution. This shear-driven plasma mixing is theoretically predicted to be asymmetric, strongly favoring the hemisphere where the solar-wind electric field points toward the planet (-E hemisphere). Here we report the observation of a coherent train of fully developed KH vortices in the traditionally unfavorable +E hemisphere of Mars, using in-situ MAVEN measurements. Contemporaneous upstream constraints from Tianwen-1 confirm a steady interplanetary magnetic field, indicating sustained shear-driven growth rather than a transient boundary response. We find that these vortices developed within an expanded, weak-field boundary layer downstream of strong southern crustal magnetic anomalies. Our analysis suggests that regional boundary structuring can override the large-scale hemispheric preference to facilitate localized KH growth. These findings demonstrate that shear-driven escape pathways can operate in traditionally unfavorable regions, altering our understanding of atmospheric volatile loss at weakly magnetized planets.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2609.27474",
  "author_total": 9,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Junxi Niu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tong Dang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jiuhou Lei"
    },
    {
      "name": "Binzheng Zhang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Wenya Li"
    },
    {
      "name": "Binbin Tang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Junjie Chen"
    },
    {
      "name": "Sudong Xiao"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tielong Zhang"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fpcyq7jzhwb84.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2609.27474",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "fpcyq7jzhwb84",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.27474",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "astro-ph.EP"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "physics.space-ph"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3103|Planetary Science and Exploration"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214197325",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2609.27474",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-23",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fpcyq7jzhwb84.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:23:56Z",
      "native_id": "2609.27474",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.27474"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "arxiv:astro-ph.EP",
      "subfield": "planetary"
    },
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "arxiv:physics.space-ph",
      "subfield": "stellar"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Kelvin-Helmholtz vortices in the Martian +E hemisphere downstream of crustal magnetic anomalies",
  "title_text": "Kelvin-Helmholtz vortices in the Martian +E hemisphere downstream of crustal magnetic anomalies",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:23:56Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fpcyq7jzhwb84",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}