The Surface-Bounded Exosphere of Mercury

Details The Surface-Bounded Exosphere of Mercury The Surface-Bounded Exosphere of Mercury

Jan 2005

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005hia....13...56p&link_type=abstract

Highlights of Astronomy, Vol. 13, as presented at the XXVth General Assembly of the IAU - 2003 [Sydney, Australia, 13 - 26 July

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

Collisions in the Mercury atmosphere are negligible so that a collisionless exosphere rather than a conventional atmosphere surrounds the planet. This exosphere is bounded by the surface of Mercury hence the term surface-bounded exosphere. Interactions with the surface are important affecting the kinetic temperature of the species and may lead to absorption or condensation. None of the likely atmospheric species can remain bound to the planet for a time comparable to the age of the planet so that they must be in a steady state with a constant supply of the species. Sources of the exosphere include the solar wind sputtering of surface materials by photons and particles diffusion from subsurface sources and infall of meteoric material. The main loss process for all species is photoionization followed by trapping of the photoions in the solar wind. Sodium and potassium atoms present a special case in that radiation acceleration can reach an appreciable fraction of surface gravity resulting in formation of a ""tail"". Sodium and potassium in the Mercury exosphere have been studied for several years but remain incompletely understood. Several models have been developed to explain some of these features without complete success to date.

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