Numerical Simulations of Surface Charging at the Lunar Terminator

Daoru Frank Han; Joseph J. Wang

doi:10.2514/6.2015-1394

Numerical Simulations of Surface Charging at the Lunar Terminator

Daoru Frank Han
, Joseph J. Wang

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

A full-particle particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation model is developed to perform fully-kinetic simulations of surface-plasma interactions at the lunar terminator region. This model uses a non-homogeneous immersed-finite-element (IFE) solver to calculate the electric field discontinuity (flux jump) at the plasma-surface interface and surface charging for realistic lunar surface terrain. The simulation includes all plasma species, including the solar wind electrons and ions, as well as photoelectrons with real proton-to-electron mass ratio so the kinetic properties in the mesothermal flow are resolved. We present simulation results of surface charging around a lunar hill at the lunar terminator region.

Original language	American English
Journal	Proceedings of the 53rd AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting (2015, Kissimmee, FL)
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2015-1394
State	Published - Jan 1 2015

Keywords

Aerospace engineering
Electric fields
Finite element method
Immersed finite elements
Kinetic properties
Kinetic simulation
Moon
Non-homogeneous
Particle-in-cell simulations
Plasma interactions
Plasma simulation
Plasma-surface interface
Surface charge
Surface charging
Surface plasma

Disciplines

Aerospace Engineering

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title = "Numerical Simulations of Surface Charging at the Lunar Terminator",

abstract = " A full-particle particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation model is developed to perform fully-kinetic simulations of surface-plasma interactions at the lunar terminator region. This model uses a non-homogeneous immersed-finite-element (IFE) solver to calculate the electric field discontinuity (flux jump) at the plasma-surface interface and surface charging for realistic lunar surface terrain. The simulation includes all plasma species, including the solar wind electrons and ions, as well as photoelectrons with real proton-to-electron mass ratio so the kinetic properties in the mesothermal flow are resolved. We present simulation results of surface charging around a lunar hill at the lunar terminator region.",

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doi = "10.2514/6.2015-1394",

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AU - Wang, Joseph J.

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AB - A full-particle particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation model is developed to perform fully-kinetic simulations of surface-plasma interactions at the lunar terminator region. This model uses a non-homogeneous immersed-finite-element (IFE) solver to calculate the electric field discontinuity (flux jump) at the plasma-surface interface and surface charging for realistic lunar surface terrain. The simulation includes all plasma species, including the solar wind electrons and ions, as well as photoelectrons with real proton-to-electron mass ratio so the kinetic properties in the mesothermal flow are resolved. We present simulation results of surface charging around a lunar hill at the lunar terminator region.

KW - Aerospace engineering

KW - Electric fields

KW - Finite element method

KW - Immersed finite elements

KW - Kinetic properties

KW - Kinetic simulation

KW - Moon

KW - Non-homogeneous

KW - Particle-in-cell simulations

KW - Plasma interactions

KW - Plasma simulation

KW - Plasma-surface interface

KW - Surface charge

KW - Surface charging

KW - Surface plasma

UR - https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/mec_aereng_facwork/3659

U2 - 10.2514/6.2015-1394

DO - 10.2514/6.2015-1394

M3 - Article

JO - Proceedings of the 53rd AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting (2015, Kissimmee, FL)

JF - Proceedings of the 53rd AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting (2015, Kissimmee, FL)

ER -

Numerical Simulations of Surface Charging at the Lunar Terminator

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