Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008agufm.p51d..05s&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2008, abstract #P51D-05
Physics
2780 Solar Wind Interactions With Unmagnetized Bodies, 5405 Atmospheres (0343, 1060), 5421 Interactions With Particles And Fields, 6250 Moon (1221)
Scientific paper
Of the known species of the lunar exosphere, sodium is the most extensively studied due to its favorable spectroscopic properties and it could be suggestive of the evolution of lunar volatiles. The distribution of sodium about the Moon is highly non-thermal, implying contributions from the energetic sources: photon- stimulated desorption, impact vaporization, and ion sputtering. We review recent findings about the interaction of the sodium surface reservoir with the variable solar UV flux, meteoritic influx and the ion flux of solar wind and magnetospheric origin. In particular, we detail the role of solar wind and terrestrial plasma sheet ions in controlling the content and morphology of exospheric sodium, including the effects of ion- enhanced grain diffusion. We correlate unpublished ground-based observations of the lunar sodium emission with simultaneous observations from plasma instruments aboard Lunar Prospector indicating the importance of interplanetary and magnetospheric conditions. Given the existing similarities between the lunar and Hermean exospheres, we discuss the implications of results from MESSENGER's first Mercury flyby leading to constraints on the sources of sodium in the lunar environment.
Killen Rosemary Margaret
Potter Andrew E.
Sarantos Menelaos
Sharma Surjalal A.
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