Erlangen 2022 – scientific programme

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MO: Fachverband Molekülphysik

MO 8: Poster 1

MO 8.18: Poster

Tuesday, March 15, 2022, 16:30–18:30, P

Laboratory simulations of solar wind ion irradiation on the surface of Mercury — Caixia Bu¹, Benjamin C. Bostick², Steve N. Chillrud², Deborah L. Domingue³, Denton S. Ebel⁴, George E. Harlow⁴, Rosemary M. Killen⁵, •Daniel Schury¹, Kyle P. Bowen¹, Pierre-Michel Hillenbrand¹, Xavier Urbain⁶, Ruitian Zhang¹, Dmitry Ivanov¹, and Daniel W. Savin¹ — ¹Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University, New York — ²Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades — ³Planetary Science Institute, Tucson — ⁴American Museum of Natural History, New York — ⁵NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt — ⁶Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la- Neuve

Mercury possesses a Na exosphere that is thought to be in part formed by solar wind ion sputtering of the planet's regolith surface. However, reliable sputtering data are lacking to confirm this hypothesis. Observations of the planet from satellites such as MESSENGER provide spectral and photometric data of the surface, which is affected by solar wind ion irradiation.

We have developed a novel apparatus to perform solar wind-like ion irradiation of loose regolith-like powders and to measure angular sputter yields and spectral changes. Spectra spanning 350-2500 nm will be collected in-vacuo and in-situ as a function of ion fluence. We will present the experimental setup and provide first results.