Dynamic 3D Simulation of Surface Charging on Rotating Asteroids

The surface-charging phenomenon of asteroids, mainly resulting from solar wind plasma and solar radiation, has been extensively studied. However, the influence of the asteroid’s rotation on surface charging is not yet fully understood. In this study, a neural network is established to replace numeri...

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Main Authors: Ronghui Quan, Zhiying Song, Zhigui Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2024-01-01
Series:The Astrophysical Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad8e37
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author Ronghui Quan
Zhiying Song
Zhigui Liu
author_facet Ronghui Quan
Zhiying Song
Zhigui Liu
author_sort Ronghui Quan
collection DOAJ
description The surface-charging phenomenon of asteroids, mainly resulting from solar wind plasma and solar radiation, has been extensively studied. However, the influence of the asteroid’s rotation on surface charging is not yet fully understood. In this study, a neural network is established to replace numerical integration, improving the efficiency of dynamic 3D simulations. We simulate rotating asteroids and their surrounding plasma environments under various conditions, including the quiet solar wind and solar storms. Different minerals on the asteroid surface are also considered. Additionally, the effects of orbital motion and obliquity are studied for asteroids with rotation periods comparable to their orbital periods. The results show that under the typical solar wind, the maximum and minimum potentials of asteroids gradually decrease with increasing rotation periods, especially when the solar wind is obliquely incident. For asteroids with rotation periods longer than one week, this decreasing trend becomes extremely slow. During a solar storm, the solar wind plasma changes sharply, and the susceptibility of an asteroid’s surface potential to rotation is greatly pronounced. Surface minerals also play a role; plagioclase is the most sensitive mineral among those explored, while ilmenite appears indifferent to changes in rotation periods. Understanding the surface charging of asteroids under various rotation periods and angles is crucial for further research on solar wind plasma and asteroids’ surface dust motion, providing a reference for the safe landing and exploration of asteroids.
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spelling doaj-art-73a1b4e2eeea45f79719a0ae7d8c7a462025-08-20T02:30:42ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572024-01-01977112710.3847/1538-4357/ad8e37Dynamic 3D Simulation of Surface Charging on Rotating AsteroidsRonghui Quan0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4321-9008Zhiying Song1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3498-2172Zhigui Liu2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9859-0277College of Astronautics, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics , Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210016, People's Republic of China ; sx2215054@nuaa.edu.cnCollege of Astronautics, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics , Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210016, People's Republic of China ; sx2215054@nuaa.edu.cnCollege of Astronautics, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics , Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210016, People's Republic of China ; sx2215054@nuaa.edu.cnThe surface-charging phenomenon of asteroids, mainly resulting from solar wind plasma and solar radiation, has been extensively studied. However, the influence of the asteroid’s rotation on surface charging is not yet fully understood. In this study, a neural network is established to replace numerical integration, improving the efficiency of dynamic 3D simulations. We simulate rotating asteroids and their surrounding plasma environments under various conditions, including the quiet solar wind and solar storms. Different minerals on the asteroid surface are also considered. Additionally, the effects of orbital motion and obliquity are studied for asteroids with rotation periods comparable to their orbital periods. The results show that under the typical solar wind, the maximum and minimum potentials of asteroids gradually decrease with increasing rotation periods, especially when the solar wind is obliquely incident. For asteroids with rotation periods longer than one week, this decreasing trend becomes extremely slow. During a solar storm, the solar wind plasma changes sharply, and the susceptibility of an asteroid’s surface potential to rotation is greatly pronounced. Surface minerals also play a role; plagioclase is the most sensitive mineral among those explored, while ilmenite appears indifferent to changes in rotation periods. Understanding the surface charging of asteroids under various rotation periods and angles is crucial for further research on solar wind plasma and asteroids’ surface dust motion, providing a reference for the safe landing and exploration of asteroids.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad8e37Asteroid rotationAsteroid surfacesSolar windNeural networks
spellingShingle Ronghui Quan
Zhiying Song
Zhigui Liu
Dynamic 3D Simulation of Surface Charging on Rotating Asteroids
The Astrophysical Journal
Asteroid rotation
Asteroid surfaces
Solar wind
Neural networks
title Dynamic 3D Simulation of Surface Charging on Rotating Asteroids
title_full Dynamic 3D Simulation of Surface Charging on Rotating Asteroids
title_fullStr Dynamic 3D Simulation of Surface Charging on Rotating Asteroids
title_full_unstemmed Dynamic 3D Simulation of Surface Charging on Rotating Asteroids
title_short Dynamic 3D Simulation of Surface Charging on Rotating Asteroids
title_sort dynamic 3d simulation of surface charging on rotating asteroids
topic Asteroid rotation
Asteroid surfaces
Solar wind
Neural networks
url https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad8e37
work_keys_str_mv AT ronghuiquan dynamic3dsimulationofsurfacechargingonrotatingasteroids
AT zhiyingsong dynamic3dsimulationofsurfacechargingonrotatingasteroids
AT zhiguiliu dynamic3dsimulationofsurfacechargingonrotatingasteroids