3D Venusian Ionosphere model: Venus PCM

International audienceFor twenty years, a Planetary Climate Model (PCM) has been developed for the Venus atmosphere at “Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace” (IPSL), in collaboration between LMD and LATMOS, from the surface up to 250 km altitude (Lebonnois et al., 2010; 2016; Martinez et al., 2023). Recently, the Venus PCM (former IPSL Venus GCM) has been updated with the addition of photoionization and ion-neutral chemistry to simulate the Venusian ionosphere at altitudes where the photoequilibrium assumption is valid (below 180-200 km at dayside), based on the Martian ionospheric model described in González-Galindo et al., 2013.By simulating the ionosphere and comparing the results with observations from spacecraft missions, we have been able to better understand the processes at work in the Venusian ionosphere. Here, we will focus on the main ion species (O+, CO2+, O2+, H+, CO+) and on the modeling of the Venusian ionosphere by Venus PCM through the comparison of the ionosphere composition with Pioneer Venus observation (PV-OIMS, PV-OETP). We also explore the effects of the addition of ambipolar diffusion on the vertical density profile of the main ions, based on the work of Chaufray et al., 2014 for the Martian ionosphere