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Lunar Prospector measurements of secondary electron emission from lunar regolith |
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| Authors: | JS Halekas GT Delory TJ Stubbs WM Farrell |
| Institution: | a Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, 7 Gauss Way, Berkeley, CA 94 720, USA b Physics Department, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA c Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology Center, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA d NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA |
| Abstract: | We present the first in situ measurements of the secondary electron emission efficiency of lunar regolith, utilizing Lunar Prospector measurements of secondary electrons emitted from the negatively charged night side and accelerated upward by surface electric fields. By comparing measurements of secondary currents emitted from the surface and incident primary electron currents, we find that the secondary yield of lunar regolith is a factor of ∼3 lower than that measured for samples in the laboratory. This lower yield significantly affects current balance at the lunar surface and the resulting equilibrium surface potentials. This information must be folded into models of the near-surface plasma sheath, in order to predict the effects on dust and other components of the lunar environment, and ultimately determine the importance for surface exploration and scientific investigations on the Moon. |
| Keywords: | Moon Surface charging Secondary electron emission Lunar Prospector |
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