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On vertical electric fields at lunar magnetic anomalies
Author(s) -
Jarvinen R.,
Alho M.,
Kallio E.,
Wurz P.,
Barabash S.,
Futaana Y.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2014gl059788
Subject(s) - geophysics , geology , geodesy , electric field , magnetic anomaly , magnetic field , astrobiology , physics , quantum mechanics
We study the interaction between a magnetic dipole mimicking the Gerasimovich magnetic anomaly on the lunar surface and the solar wind in a self‐consistent 3‐D quasi‐neutral hybrid simulation where ions are modeled as particles and electrons as a charge‐neutralizing fluid. Especially, we consider the origin of the recently observed electric potentials at lunar magnetic anomalies. An antimoonward Hall electric field forms in our simulation resulting in a potential difference of <300V on the lunar surface, in which the value is similar to observations. Since the hybrid model assumes charge neutrality, our results suggest that the electric potentials at lunar magnetic anomalies can be formed by decoupling of ion and electron motion even without charge separation.