Non-monotonic potentials above the lunar surface: implications for electron reflectometry measurements

Details Non-monotonic potentials above the lunar surface: implications for electron reflectometry measurements Non-monotonic potentials above the lunar surface: implications for electron reflectometry measurements

Dec 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufm.p54b..08p&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #P54B-08

Physics

Plasma Physics

[5421] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Interactions With Particles And Fields, [6250] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Moon, [7815] Space Plasma Physics / Electrostatic Structures, [7849] Space Plasma Physics / Plasma Interactions With Dust And Aerosols

Scientific paper

Photoelectron sheaths are expected to form above airless bodies in the solar system when they are exposed to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Previous analytic work has predicted that non-monotonic potentials arise in photoelectron sheaths in the presence of the inflowing solar wind. These potential structures are significant as they trap photoelectrons near the surface and can affect the interpretation of observational results of the plasma environment around airless bodies. A one-dimensional particle-in-cell code of the near-surface lunar plasma environment has been developed and simulations show non-monotonic potentials over a range of conditions, including periods when the Moon is exposed to the solar wind or exposed to the terrestrial current sheet. These simulations are compared to measurements of the lunar surface potential by the Lunar Prospector Electron Reflectometer. This modeling is also done in anticipation of the ARTEMIS and LADEE missions, which will simultaneously take plasma and dust environment measurements around the Moon. Knowledge of how the plasma and dust environments are coupled will lead to a greater understanding of the lunar dusty plasma environment.

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