ON THE SURFACE SPUTTERING EFFECTS OF MAGNETOSPHERIC CHARGED-PARTICLES AT MERCURY

被引：41

作者：

IP, WH ^{[1
]}

机构：

[1] MAX PLANCK INST AERON,W-3411 KATLENBURG DUHM,GERMANY

来源：

ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL | 1993年 / 418卷 / 01期

关键词：

ATOMIC PROCESSES; PLANETS AND SATELLITES; INDIVIDUAL; (MERCURY);

D O I：

10.1086/173406

中图分类号：

P1 [天文学];

学科分类号：

0704 ;

摘要：

A simple model of the atomic sodium exosphere is used in conjunction with a magnetospheric field model to study the ion trajectories of Na+ ions in the magnetosphere of Mercury. It is found that low-energy (< 3 keV) ions usually encounter the planetary surface at high latitude as a result of the finite size of the planet and the E x B drift pattern of the ions. On the other hand, high-energy (> 10 keV) particles tend to hit the planetary surface on the nightside hemisphere at low latitudes. Such precipitation patterns of the exospheric ions might have important implication on the recent observations of enhancement of sodium emissions at high-latitude regions of Mercury.

引用

页码：451 / 456

页数：6

共 23 条

[1] POSSIBLE CALORIMETRIC EFFECTS AT MERCURY DUE TO SOLAR-WIND MAGNETOSPHERE INTERACTIONS [J].