Formation of a Plasma Layer During the Passage of the Moon through the Magnetic Ropes of the Solar Wind

A. S. Nabatov; Набатов А. С.; A. I. Zakharov; Захаров А. И.; A. I. Efimov; Ефимов А. И.

doi:10.31857/S0320930X22060056

Formation of a Plasma Layer During the Passage of the Moon through the Magnetic Ropes of the Solar Wind

Authors: Nabatov A.S.¹, Zakharov A.I.¹, Efimov A.I.¹
Affiliations:
1. Kotelnikov Institute of Radioengineering and Electronics (IRE), Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
Issue: Vol 57, No 1 (2023)
Pages: 45-54
Section: Articles
URL: https://rjmseer.com/0320-930X/article/view/648456
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31857/S0320930X22060056
EDN: https://elibrary.ru/EKWFQR
ID: 648456

Cite item

Full Text

Open Access
Restricted Access

Access granted
Restricted Access

Subscription or Fee Access

Abstract
About the authors
References
Supplementary files
Statistics

Abstract

In the absence of a dense atmosphere and a general magnetic field around the Moon, solar wind particles reach the lunar surface and are almost completely absorbed. When the Moon passes through the plasma medium of the solar wind magnetic ropes, the electric currents of the rope can strongly change the electric potential of the lunar surface on the day and night surfaces, and in the case when the current density vectors of the rope and the direction to the Sun are close to colinear, there is the possibility of sufficiently strong ring currents, the magnetic field of which tends to displace the magnetic field of the rope and lead to the formation of a plasma layer with a height of the order of the electron Larmor radius.

Keywords

Moon, plasma sheet, solar wind, magnetic rope, force-free structure

References

Москаленко А.М. Электростатический потенциал у поверхности Луны // Кинемат. и физ. небесн. тел. 1992. Т. 8. № 5. С. 31–40.
Попель С.И., Копнин С.И., Голубь А.П., Дольников Г.Г., Захаров А.В., Зеленый Л.М., Извекова Ю.Н. Пылевая плазма у поверхности Луны // Астрон. вестн. 2013. Т. 47. № 6. С. 455–466.
Попель С.И., Голубь А.П., Зеленый Л.М., Хораньи М. Удары высокоскоростных метеороидов и плазменно-пылевое облако над поверхностью Луны // Письма в ЖЭТФ. 2017. Т. 105. Вып. 10. С. 594–599.
Bhardwaj Anil, Dhanya1 M.B., Alok Abhinaw, Barabash S., Wieser M., Futaana Yoshifumi, Wurz Peter, Vorburger Audrey, Holmström Mats, Lue Charles, Harada Yuki, Asamura Kazushi. A new view on the solar wind interaction with the Moon // Geosci. Lett. 2015. 2:10
Bittencourt J.A. Fundamentals of plasma physics. New York: Springer Science + Business Media, 2004. 320 p.
Buhler C., Calle C., Clements J., Mantovani J., Ritz M. Test method for in situ electrostatic characterization of lunar dust // IEEE Aerospace Conf. Proc. 2007. P. 1–19.
Burlaga L.F. Interplanetary Magnetohydrodynamics // Int. Ser. in Astron. and Astrophys. V. 3. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1995. P. 272.
Carrier W.D. III, Olhoeft G.R., Mendell W. Physical properties of the lunar surface // Lunar Sourcebook. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1991. P. 475–594.
Choudhary R.K., Ambili K.M., Siddhartha Choudhury, Dhanya M.B., Bhardwaj A. On the origin of the ionosphere at the Moon using results from Chandrayaan-1 S-Band Radio Occultation Experiment and a photochemical model // Geophys. Res. Lett. 2016. 43(19). P. 10 025–10 033.
Cohen R.H., Ryutov D.D. Sheath physics and boundary conditions for edge plasmas // Contrib. Plasma Phys. 2004. V. 44. № 1–3. P. 111–125.
Dyal P., Parkin C.W., Daily W.D. Structure of the lunar interior from magnetic field measurements // Proc. Lunar Sci. Conf. 7th. 1976. P. 3077–3095.
Feng H.Q., Wu D.J., Chao J.K. Size and energy distributions of interplanetary magnetic flux ropes // J. Geophys. Res. 2007. V. 112. A02102.
Feng H.Q., Wu D.J., Lin C.C., Chao J.K., Lee L. C., Lyu L.H. Interplanetary small- and intermediate-sized magnetic flux ropes during 1995–2005 // J. Geophys. Res. 2008. V. 113. id. A12105.
Freeman J.W., Ibrahim M. Lunar electric fields, surface potential and associated plasma sheaths // The Moon. 1975. V. 14. P. 103–114.
Halekas J.S., Delory G.T., Lin R.P., Stubbs T.J., Farrell W.M. Lunar Prospector observations of the electrostatic potential of the lunar surface and its response to incident currents // J. Geophys. Res. 2008. V. 113. id. A09102.
Hidalgo M.A., Cid C., Medina J., Viñas A.F. A new model for the topology of magnetic clouds in the solar wind // Sol. Phys. 2000. V. 194. P. 165–174.
Hidalgo M.A., Cid C. A non-force-free approach to the topology of magnetic clouds in the solar wind // J. Geophys. Res. 2002. V. 106. Iss. A1. P. 1002.
Holmström M. The interaction between the Moon and the solar wind // AGU Fall Meeting, December 6, 2012. P43D-1940.
Imamura T., Nabatov A., Mochizuki N., Iwata T., Hanada H., Matsumoto K., Noda H., Kono Y., Liu Q., Futaana Y., Ando H., Yamamoto Z., Oyama K.-I., Saito A. Radio occultation measurement of the electron density near the lunar surface using a subsatellite on the SELENE mission // J. Geophys. Res. 2012. V. 117. id. A06303.
Jordan A.P., Stubbs T.J., Wilson J.K., Schwadron N.A., Spence H.E., Joyce C.J. Deep dielectric charging of regolith within the Moon’s permanently shadowed regions// J. Geophys. Res. E: Planets. 2014. V. 119 (8). P. 1806–1821.
Lepping R.P., Burlaga L.F., Jones J.A. Magnetic field structure of interplanetary magnetic clouds at 1 AU // J. Geophys. Res. 1990. V. 95. P. 11 957–11 965.
Mitchell D.L., Halekas J.S., Lin R.P., Frey S., Hood L.L., Acuña M.H., Binder A. Global mapping of lunar crustal magnetic fields by Lunar Prospector // Icarus. 2008. V. 194. P. 401–409.
Ness N.F. Interaction of the solar wind with the Moon // Sol. Terr. Phys. 1970. Part II. P. 159–205.
Nitter T., Havnes O., Melandso F. Levitation and dynamics of charged dust in the photoelectron sheath above surfaces in space // J. Geophys. Res. 1998. V. 103. P. 6605–6620.
Olhoeft G.R., Strangway D.W. Dielectric properties of the first 100 meters of the Moon // Earth and Planet. Sci. Lett. 1975. V. 24. P. 394–400.
Pluchino S., Schilliro F., Salerno E., Pupillo G., Maccaferri G., Cassaro P. Radio occultation measurements of the lunar ionosphere // Mem. S. A. It. Suppl. 2008. V. 12. P. 53.
Popel S.I., Golub’ A.P., Kassem A.I., Zelenyi L.M. Dust dynamics in the lunar dusty plasmas: Effects of magnetic fields and dust charge variations // Phys. Plasmas. 2022. V. 29. № 1. id. A013701.
Savich N.A. Cislunar plasma model // Space Res. 1976. V. 16. P. 941–943.
Stern S.A. The lunar atmosphere: history, status, current problems, and context // Rev. Geophys. 1999. V. 37. Iss. 4. P. 453–491.
Stubbs T.J., Vondrak R.R., Farrell W.M. A dynamics fountain model for lunar dust // Adv. Space Res. 2006. V. 37. P. 59–66.
Stubbs T.J., Glenar D.A., Farrell W.M., Vondrak R.R., Collier M.R., Halekas J.S., Delory G.T. On the role of dust in the lunar ionosphere // Planet. and Space Sci. 2011. V. 59. P. 1659–1664.
Vyshlov A.S., Savich N.A., Vasilyev M.B., Samoznaev L.N., Sidorenko A.I., Shtern D.Y. Some results of cislunar plasma research // NASA Tech. Rep. 1976. V. 397. P. 81–85.
Walbridge E. Lunar photoelectron layer // J. Geophys. Res. 1973. V. 78. № 19. P. 3668–3687.
Wang X., Pilewskie J., Hsu H.-W., Horányi M. Plasma potential in the sheaths of electron-emitting surfaces in space // Geophys. Res. Lett. 2015. V. 43. P. 525–531.
Zhang H., Khurana K.K., Zong Q.-g., Kivelson M.G., Hsu T.-s., and 9 co-authors. Outward expansion of the lunar wake: ARTEMIS observations // Geophys. Res. Lett. 2012. V. 39. Iss. 18. id. L18104.
Zhang H., Khurana K.K., Kivelson M.G., Angelopoulos V., Wan W.X., Liu L.B., Zong Q.-G., Pu Z.Y., Shi Q.Q., Liu W.L. Three-dimensional lunar wake reconstructed from ARTEMIS data // J. Geophys. Res.: Space Physics. 2014. V. 119. P. 5220–5243.