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Electric potentials in magnetic dipole fields normal and oblique to a surface in plasma: Understanding the solar wind interaction with lunar magnetic anomalies
Author(s) -
Wang X.,
Howes C. T.,
Horányi M.,
Robertson S.
Publication year - 2013
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/grl.50367
Subject(s) - dipole , mercury's magnetic field , magnetic field , magnetic dipole , physics , solar wind , electron , plasma , dipole model of the earth's magnetic field , magnetic reconnection , electric field , geophysics , computational physics , interplanetary magnetic field , quantum mechanics
We experimentally investigated the solar wind interaction with moderate‐strength lunar magnetic anomalies in which the electrons are magnetized but the ions remain unmagnetized. Previously, we studied the plasma sheaths above an insulating surface in a magnetic dipole field oriented parallel to the surface. In this paper, when the dipole field is oriented normal to the surface, the surface potential largely rises, and a potential bump forms in the sheath in the magnetic cusp region due to a significant magnetic mirror reflection of the electrons. It is also found that the electrons are shielded from the central dipole wings and diverted into the side of the wings. When the dipole field obliquely intersects the surface, an asymmetric potential distribution develops. Our experimental results indicate that lunar surface charging can be greatly modified in the magnetic anomaly regions, creating extreme local electrical environments.