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Mercury's magnetospheric irradiation effect on the surface
Author(s) -
Ip W.H.
Publication year - 1987
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 - 10.1029/gl014i012p01191
Subject(s) - regolith , irradiation , mercury (programming language) , physics , magnetosphere , atmospheric sciences , computational physics , geophysics , atomic physics , mechanics , plasma , astrobiology , nuclear physics , computer science , programming language
Using numerical model calculations, we investigate the transient heating effect from magnetospheric charged particle precipitation as proposed by Baker et al. (1987). Under extreme circumstances, the transient temperature increase may reach 1 K if the heating duration lasts more than one minute and the energy influx reaches 10 4 ergs/cm²/s. Otherwise, the expected temperature rise should be substantially smaller (Δ T < 0.05 K). From this point of view, optical observations capable of differentiating various degrees of particle irradiation effect (i.e., modification of optical properties of surface dust layer and/or regolith structure) might be more appropriate to pinpoint signature of Mercury's auroral zones.