Modeling Electrostatic Levitation of Dust Particles on Lunar Surface
Abstract
This paper presents a simulation model on electro-static levitation of lunar dust particles in the lunar terminatorregion. Full-particle particle-in-cell simulations are carried outusing real ion to electron mass ratio to obtain plasma sheath,surface charging, and the transition point of surface electric field.Test particle simulations are carried out to simulate the levitationof dust particles from lunar surface. Results show that the dust lev-itation condition in the terminator region is sensitively influencedby the ambient plasma condition and surface charging, and thelevitation altitude varies significantly even for small changes of thesun elevation angle.
Recommended Citation
J. Wang et al., "Modeling Electrostatic Levitation of Dust Particles on Lunar Surface," Transactions of Plasma Science, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Jan 2008.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1109/TPS.2008.2003016
Department(s)
Mathematics and Statistics
Keywords and Phrases
electrostatic levitation of dust particles; full-particle particle-in-cell (PIC); lunar dust charging; lunar surface charging
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2008 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jan 2008
