Physics – Plasma Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufm.p43f..06w&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #P43F-06
Physics
Plasma Physics
[6250] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Moon, [7831] Space Plasma Physics / Laboratory Studies And Experimental Techniques, [7849] Space Plasma Physics / Plasma Interactions With Dust And Aerosols
Scientific paper
The Moon does not have a global magnetic field, unlike the Earth, rather it has strong crustal magnetic anomalies. Data from Lunar Prospector and SELENE (Kaguya) observed strong interactions between the solar wind and these localized magnetic fields. In the laboratory, a configuration of a horseshoe permanent magnet below an insulating surface is used as an analogue of lunar crustal magnetic anomalies. Plasmas are created above the surface by a hot filament discharge. Potential distributions are measured with an emissive probe and show complex spatial structures. In our experiments, electrons are magnetized with gyro-radii r smaller than the distance from the surface d (r < d) and ions are un-magnetized with r > d. Unlike negative charging on surfaces with no magnetic fields, the surface potential at the center of the magnetic dipole is found close to the plasma bulk potential. The surface charging is dominated by the cold unmagnetized ions, while the electrons are shielded away. A potential minimum is formed between the center of the surface and the bulk plasma, most likely caused by the trapped electrons between the two magnetic mirrors at the cusps. The value of the potential minimum with respect to the bulk plasma potential decreases with increasing plasma density and neutral pressure, indicating that the mirror-trapped electrons are scattered by electron-electron and electron-neutral collisions. The potential at the two cusps are found to be more negative due to the electrons following the magnetic field lines onto the surface.
Atmospheric Studies
Horanyi Mihaly
NASA Lunar Science Institute: Colorado Center for Lunar Dust
Robertson S. H.
Wang Xinhua
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