Spatial distribution of sodium vapor in the atmosphere of Mercury

Killen, R. M.; Potter, A. E.; Morgan, T. H.

doi:10.1016/0019-1035(90)90108-l

Cited by 62 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 32 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In Section 2 the observations and estimations of the neutral and ionised components of the exosphere are reviewed. The column density of the observed constituents is ≤10 12 cm −2 (Killen and Ip, 1999). Generally, if the total column content of an atmosphere is N ∞ ≤ σ −1 ∼ = 10 14 cm −2 , where σ is the typical cross section of the gas particles, the gaseous envelope is referred to as "exosphere".…”

Section: Hermean System: Surface-exosphere-magnetospherementioning

confidence: 99%

Surface-Exosphere-Magnetosphere System Of Mercury

Milillo¹,

Würz

Orsini³

et al. 2005

Space Sci Rev

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mercury is a poorly known planet, since the only space-based information comes from the three fly-bys performed in 1974 by the Mariner 10 spacecraft. Ground-based observations also provided some interesting results, but they are particularly difficult to obtain due to the planet's proximity to the Sun. Nevertheless, the fact that the planet's orbit is so close to the Sun makes Mercury a particularly interesting subject for extreme environmental conditions. Among a number of crucial scientific topics to be addressed, Mercury's exosphere, its interaction with the solar wind and its origin from the surface of the planet, can provide important clues about planetary evolution. In fact, the Hermean exosphere is continuously eroded and refilled by these interactions, so that it would be more proper to consider the Hermean environment as a single, unified system -surfaceexosphere-magnetosphere. These three parts are indeed strongly linked to each other. In recent years, the two missions scheduled to explore the iron planet, the NASA MESSENGER mission (launched in March 2004) and the ESA cornerstone mission (jointly with JAXA) BepiColombo (to be launched in 2012), have stimulated new interest in the many unresolved mysteries related to it. New ground-based observations, made possible by new technologies, have been obtained, and new simulation studies have been performed. In this paper some old as well as the very latest observations and studies related to the surface-exosphere-magnetosphere system are reviewed, outlining the investigations achievable by the planned space-based observations. This review intends to support the studies, in preparation of future data, and the definition of specific instrumentation.

show abstract

Section: Hermean System: Surface-exosphere-magnetospherementioning

confidence: 99%

Surface-Exosphere-Magnetosphere System Of Mercury

Milillo¹,

Würz

Orsini³

et al. 2005

Space Sci Rev

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The magnitude of the extinction near and equatorial anomalies as well as temporal variation 310 nm effectively reduces the range of airmasses when dark sky measurements can be made at most sites. Since (Killen et al 1990). The tangent column at the surface is below 320 nm the extinction due to O 3 (most of which is above 10 km in our atmosphere) begins to dominate the combined effects of Rayleigh and aerosol scattering, even the best sites will be limited.…”

mentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Previous to the We predict the OH column that will be present in the polar regions of the mercurian exosphere for physically realistic ice Mariner 10 flyby, this process, known as chemical sputdeposits at the poles, including both surface and buried ice. tering (Roth 1983), was suggested by Thomas (1974) as a The probable rates of accretion by meteoritic, asteroidal, and source of water on Mercury. Nevertheless, the discovery cometary sources are computed and compared with loss rates.…”

mentioning

confidence: 94%

Mercury's Polar Caps and the Generation of an OH Exosphere☆

Killen

Benkhoff

Morgan

1997

Icarus

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Ion sputtering: High-latitude enhancements in the exospheric Na abundance at Mercury have been attributed to sputtering by energetic ions [Killen et al, 1990;Potter and Morgan, 1990]. The efficiency of an ion sputter source in producing the high-latitude enhancements in Na and K, or in producing a dawn-dusk asymmetry depends to a great extent on the spatial and temporal characteristics of the ion flux, and on its energy spectrum.…”

Section: 3 / Reviews Of Geophysicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The surface‐bounded atmospheres of Mercury and the Moon

Killen¹,

Ip²

1999

Reviews of Geophysics

171

123

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Surface-bounded exospheres have been detected at the Moon, Mercury, and Europa and almost certainly exist about other objects. Historically, the first of these systems to be observed was the lunar exosphere, where He and Ar were detected by the Apollo spacecraft. The Hermean exosphere is archetypical of these systems in that it is part of a coupled system including the surface and magnetosphere interacting dynamically with the solar wind and fields. Studies of the Hermean exosphere heretofore have neglected or only superficially considered these interactions. We will review the current state of knowledge of the exospheres of Mercury and the Moon and discuss areas in which our knowledge is most incomplete. We will focus on the exosphere as part of a coupled system including the surface at its base and the particle, field, and interplanetary environment as both a source and sink for neutrals. Apollo era instruments made unambiguous detections of 36mr, 4ømr, Early Work and OverviewIn a review prior to the Mariner 10 encounter, Banks et al. [1970] reported no observational evidence for the presence of an atmosphere about Mercury. They predicted an exosphere (N < 2 x 10 TM cm -2) or thin atmosphere resulting from diffusion or effusion from the interior, solar wind implantation with subsequent thermal evaporation, or sputtering. By scaling terrestrial noble gas production and diffusion rates and assuming a lunar-like solar wind interaction, they suggested that the most abundant constituents should be the noble gases derived from the solar wind and radiogenic sources, the most abundant being 4He, followed by 4øAr and 2øNe.

show abstract

Spatial distribution of sodium vapor in the atmosphere of Mercury

Cited by 62 publications

References 32 publications

Surface-Exosphere-Magnetosphere System Of Mercury

Surface-Exosphere-Magnetosphere System Of Mercury

Mercury's Polar Caps and the Generation of an OH Exosphere☆

The surface‐bounded atmospheres of Mercury and the Moon

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About