Dust mobilization in the presence of magnetic fields

Yeo, Li Hsia; Hood, N.; Wang, X.; Horányi, M.

doi:10.1103/physreve.106.l013203

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Additionally, lofted dust dynamics and soil development indirectly influenced by a magnetic field have been experimentally performed by Yeo et al. (2022). That study shows that while the magnetic field does not directly influence the dust motion, it controls the movement of electrons, creating regions of active and inactive lofting.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…That study shows that while the magnetic field does not directly influence the dust motion, it controls the movement of electrons, creating regions of active and inactive lofting. However, while the physical parameters in the Yeo et al (2022) laboratory experiment (e.g., the magnetic flux density) are chosen to scale with a lunar magnetic anomaly, they are not fully representative, in particular concerning the strength of the magnetic field relative to the near-surface electric field. The hypotheses related to electric fields formed by charge separation above a magnetized PADB or active and inactive regions of lofting at a magnetized PADB, have been proposed previously on a spatial scale of kilometers.…”

Section: Magnetic Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Discovery of a Dust Sorting Process on Boulders Near the Reiner Gamma Swirl on the Moon

Rüsch,

Hess,

Wöhler

et al. 2024

JGR Planets

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In a database of lunar fractured boulders (Rüsch & Bickel, 2023, https://doi.org/10.3847/psj/acd1ef), we found boulders with reflectance features dissimilar to previously known morphologies. We performed a photo‐geologic investigation and determined that the features correspond to a dust mantling on top of boulders with a unique photometric behavior. We next performed a photometric model inversion on the dust mantling using Bayesian inference sampling. Modeling indicates that the dust photometric anomaly is most likely due to a reduced opposition effect, whereas the single scattering albedo is not significantly different from that of the nearby background regolith. This implies a different structure of the dust mantling relative to the normal regolith. We identified and discussed several potential processes to explain the development of such soil. None of these mechanisms can entirely explain the multitude of observational constraints unless evoking anomalous boulder properties. Further study of these boulders can shed light on the workings of a natural dust sorting process potentially involving dust dynamics, a magnetic field, and electrostatic dust transport. The presence of these boulders appears to be limited to the Reiner K crater near the Reiner Gamma magnetic and photometric anomaly. This close spatial relationship further highlights that poorly understood processes occur in this specific region of the Moon.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Magnetic Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discovery of a Dust Sorting Process on Boulders Near the Reiner Gamma Swirl on the Moon

Rüsch,

Hess,

Wöhler

et al. 2024

JGR Planets

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“…Subsequently, strong Coulomb repulsive forces between these negatively charged particles lead to their lofting. Simulations (Zimmerman et al 2016;Deca et al 2023) and follow-up experiments have verified the PCM and provided more insights into the dust lofting properties, including initial charge and velocity distributions (Schwan et al 2017;Orger et al 2019;Carroll et al 2020), size distributions (Hood et al 2022), lofting rates (Hood et al 2018), as well as mobilization in the presence of magnetic fields (Yeo et al 2022). These laboratory results provide critical constraints for designing in situ instrumentation and measurements.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Electrostatic Dust Analyzer for Dust Transport Measurements on the Lunar Surface

Wang,

Horanyi,

Fisher

et al. 2024

Planet. Sci. J.

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Lunar dust charging and transport is a more than five-decade-old problem. A high-fidelity and flight-qualified Electrostatic Dust Analyzer (EDA) has been developed to measure the charge, velocity, mass (size), and flux of electrostatically lofted dust particles on the lunar surface. Recent laboratory findings have greatly advanced our fundamental understanding of the dust-charging and -lofting mechanisms, providing critical constraints to the design of the EDA instrument. EDA consists of two identical dust trajectory sensor (DTS) units on both ends of the instrument with a deflection field electrode (DFE) unit lying in between. When a dust particle enters the instrument, charge signals induced on four arrays of wire electrodes in the two DTS units determine the total charge of the dust particle and its trajectory passing through the instrument from which the dust velocity vector is measured. The mass (size) is derived from the deflection of the dust trajectory by the DFE. A dust campaign was performed to characterize the instrument’s performance. The results meet or exceed the requirements. EDA has achieved high Technology Readiness Level 6. EDA measurements are important for assessing the dust environment on the lunar surface and its subsequent impact on crew safety and the operation of exploration systems. Additionally, EDA measurements are expected to have important implications for the surface evolution of all airless bodies, including the Moon and asteroids, in the solar system.

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“…This process proposes that extremely fine-grained magnetic regolith grains collect in areas where these field lines are perpendicular to the surface (Pieters et al 2014), such as the dark lanes in the off-swirl regions (Hemingway & Garrick-Bethell 2012;Poppe et al 2016). However, laboratory studies of dust motion within magnetic fields differ between locations where the field lines are horizontal and where they are perpendicular; dust hops less in the regions where the field lines are horizontal (Yeo et al 2022a). While these experiments were conducted with magnetic fields that are much stronger than those on the lunar surface, it suggests a possibility that nonmagnetic, feldspar-rich dust on the Moon would accumulate in areas of horizontal magnetic fields (once in these regions they would be less mobile).…”

Section: Increased Plagioclase Content On-swirlmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is because the gyroradius of such a dust grain is on the order of 10 6 km, larger than the Moon itself. Instead, a study by Yeo et al (2022a) shows that dust within a magnetic field can be preferentially lofted via the patched charge model (Wang et al 2016;Schwan et al 2017) due to the accumulation of ambient electrons in certain regions. The magnetic field serves to guide the accumulation of these ambient electrons; electric fields can build up as a result of electrons collecting within microcavities between dust grains, resulting in strong repulsive forces that cause dust grains to loft.…”

Section: Increased Plagioclase Content On-swirlmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spectrophotometric and Topographic Correlations within the Mare Ingenii Swirl Region: Evidence for a Highly Mobile Lunar Regolith

Domingue,

Weirich,

Chuang

et al. 2023

Planet. Sci. J.

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The spectrophotometric properties of two study areas in the Ingenii swirl region show that the combined effects of multiple processes are required to explain the regolith’s mineralogical and physical properties. Production of the swirl regions requires mobilization of the regolith in addition to preferential radiation shielding of subareas. The discovery of topographic correlations between on- and off-swirl (dark lanes) clearly shows that the on-swirl regions are statistically lower than the off-swirl dark lanes by 2–3 m. Photometric analyses show no microscale roughness differences between on- and off-swirl, suggesting no differences in the regolith’s fairy-castle structure between the two swirl regions. The photometric properties of one of the study areas suggest that off-swirl dark lanes may have a more complicated grain structure than on-swirl areas. Enhanced abundances of plagioclase are observed on-swirl in both study areas. Enhanced abundances of FeO and orthopyroxene are observed off-swirl in both areas. No variations in olivine or clinopyroxene abundance were observed for either study area. The discovery of topographic correlations coupled with the similarities in structural properties provides new constraints on the types of processes acting on lunar swirl surfaces.

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Dust mobilization in the presence of magnetic fields

Cited by 4 publications

References 48 publications

Discovery of a Dust Sorting Process on Boulders Near the Reiner Gamma Swirl on the Moon

Discovery of a Dust Sorting Process on Boulders Near the Reiner Gamma Swirl on the Moon

Electrostatic Dust Analyzer for Dust Transport Measurements on the Lunar Surface

Spectrophotometric and Topographic Correlations within the Mare Ingenii Swirl Region: Evidence for a Highly Mobile Lunar Regolith

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