Dust charging and transport on airless planetary bodies

We report on laboratory experiments to shed light on dust charging and transport that have been suggested to explain a variety of unusual phenomena on the surfaces of airless planetary bodies. We have recorded micron‐sized insulating dust particles jumping to several centimeters high with an initial...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2016-06, Vol.43 (12), p.6103-6110
Main Authors: Wang, X., Schwan, J., Hsu, H.‐W., Grün, E., Horányi, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggregates
airless bodies
Atmospheric particulates
Charging
Dust
Dust particles
Dust storms
electrostatic transport
Emission
Exposure
Forces (mechanics)
Height
Illumination
Laboratories
Laboratory experiments
Lunar surface
Microcavities
Particle physics
Photoelectrons
plasma
Plasmas
Plasmas (physics)
secondary electrons
Surface chemistry
Transport
Ultraviolet
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Summary:We report on laboratory experiments to shed light on dust charging and transport that have been suggested to explain a variety of unusual phenomena on the surfaces of airless planetary bodies. We have recorded micron‐sized insulating dust particles jumping to several centimeters high with an initial speed of ~0.6 m/s under ultraviolet illumination or exposure to plasmas, resulting in an equivalent height of ~0.11 m on the lunar surface that is comparable to the height of the so‐called lunar horizon glow. Lofted large aggregates and surface mobilization are related to many space observations. We experimentally show that the emission and re‐absorption of photoelectron and/or secondary electron at the walls of microcavities formed between neighboring dust particles below the surface are responsible for generating unexpectedly large negative charges and intense particle‐particle repulsive forces to mobilize and lift off dust particles. Key Points Micron‐sized insulating dust particles are recorded to hop and mobilize under UV illumination or exposure to plasmas in laboratory The emission and re‐absorption of photoelectron/secondary electron at dusty surfaces generate unexpectedly large charges and repulsive forces Electrostatic processes are efficient on the surfaces of all airless bodies in space to redistribute fine dust particles
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1002/2016GL069491