The Effect of Work Function on Dust Charging and Dynamics on the Airless Celestial Body

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Quan, Ronghui, Liu, Zhigui, Song, Zhiying
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Quan, Ronghui
Liu, Zhigui
Song, Zhiying
author_facet Quan, Ronghui
Liu, Zhigui
Song, Zhiying
contents The charged dust on the surface of airless celestial bodies, such as the moon and asteroids, is a threat to space missions. Further research on the charged dust will contribute to the success of space missions. In this paper, we study the charging and dynamics of dust particles with different work functions. By integrating the photoelectron energy distribution function over four illuminated areas with different work functions, we evaluated the photoelectron concentration in these four areas. At each area, using the photoelectron concentration, we solve the dust charging and dynamics equations with two different gravitational acceleration values. The results reveal that the dust with a larger work function can reach higher equilibrium states. These states include dominant photoelectron-related charging currents, charge numbers, and levitation heights. We suggest that the equilibrium states all hold a clear inverse relationship with the work functions of dust particles when the solar zenith angle varies from 0 to 90 degrees, displaying consistent trends under different gravitational accelerations. We also find that dust particles seem unable to stably levitate at a critical solar zenith angle. The value of this critical SZA follows the same rule subjected to the work function.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_10744
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The Effect of Work Function on Dust Charging and Dynamics on the Airless Celestial Body
Quan, Ronghui
Liu, Zhigui
Song, Zhiying
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Space Physics
The charged dust on the surface of airless celestial bodies, such as the moon and asteroids, is a threat to space missions. Further research on the charged dust will contribute to the success of space missions. In this paper, we study the charging and dynamics of dust particles with different work functions. By integrating the photoelectron energy distribution function over four illuminated areas with different work functions, we evaluated the photoelectron concentration in these four areas. At each area, using the photoelectron concentration, we solve the dust charging and dynamics equations with two different gravitational acceleration values. The results reveal that the dust with a larger work function can reach higher equilibrium states. These states include dominant photoelectron-related charging currents, charge numbers, and levitation heights. We suggest that the equilibrium states all hold a clear inverse relationship with the work functions of dust particles when the solar zenith angle varies from 0 to 90 degrees, displaying consistent trends under different gravitational accelerations. We also find that dust particles seem unable to stably levitate at a critical solar zenith angle. The value of this critical SZA follows the same rule subjected to the work function.
title The Effect of Work Function on Dust Charging and Dynamics on the Airless Celestial Body
topic Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Space Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.10744