The Interplay of Surface Composition, Mineralogy, and Physical Conditions That Affect the Surface Release Processes and Particle Environment of Mercury
Mercury has a very tenuous atmosphere starting at the surface, which is referred to as a surface-bound exosphere, where there are no collisions between exospheric particles. Having a surface-bound exosphere means that the particles in the exosphere have their origin on Mercury’s surface; thus, the c...
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2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ad95fa |
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| author | Peter Wurz Noah Jäggi André Galli Audrey Vorburger Deborah Domingue Paul S. Szabo Johannes Benkhoff Océane Barraud Daniel Wolf Savin |
| author_facet | Peter Wurz Noah Jäggi André Galli Audrey Vorburger Deborah Domingue Paul S. Szabo Johannes Benkhoff Océane Barraud Daniel Wolf Savin |
| author_sort | Peter Wurz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mercury has a very tenuous atmosphere starting at the surface, which is referred to as a surface-bound exosphere, where there are no collisions between exospheric particles. Having a surface-bound exosphere means that the particles in the exosphere have their origin on Mercury’s surface; thus, the composition of the exosphere is connected to the composition of the surface. In situ composition measurements of the exosphere can contribute to the study of the composition of the surface, together with a range of remote sensing techniques (ultraviolet, visible, infrared, X-ray, gamma-ray, and neutron spectroscopy). The external drivers for the particle release from the surface are solar photons, solar wind plasma, and micrometeoroid impacts. These drivers also cause space weathering of the surface, resulting in significant physical and chemical alterations in the regolith, ranging from the very surface to depths up to one meter. Modifications of the surface by space weathering must be considered when interpreting the composition measurements of the exosphere as well as the composition measurements of the surface by the established remote sensing techniques, because their information comes from the space-weathered volume of the surface. Therefore, the particle populations in the exosphere, space weathering, and the composition of the surface are intimately connected and must be studied together. In the following, we will review the connections between the surface and the exosphere of Mercury. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e6834f6466584e74bea95d48216a4624 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2632-3338 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Planetary Science Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-e6834f6466584e74bea95d48216a46242025-01-29T11:19:08ZengIOP PublishingThe Planetary Science Journal2632-33382025-01-01612410.3847/PSJ/ad95faThe Interplay of Surface Composition, Mineralogy, and Physical Conditions That Affect the Surface Release Processes and Particle Environment of MercuryPeter Wurz0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2603-1169Noah Jäggi1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2740-7965André Galli2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2425-3793Audrey Vorburger3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7400-9142Deborah Domingue4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7594-4634Paul S. Szabo5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7478-7999Johannes Benkhoff6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4307-9703Océane Barraud7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9985-1109Daniel Wolf Savin8https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1111-6610Space Science and Planetology, Physics Institute, University of Bern , Bern, SwitzerlandSpace Science and Planetology, Physics Institute, University of Bern , Bern, SwitzerlandSpace Science and Planetology, Physics Institute, University of Bern , Bern, SwitzerlandSpace Science and Planetology, Physics Institute, University of Bern , Bern, SwitzerlandPlanetary Science Institute , Tucson, AZ, USASpace Sciences Laboratory, University of California , Berkeley, CA, USAESA/ESTEC , Noordwijk, The NetherlandsGerman Aerospace Center (DLR)—Institute of Planetary Research , 12489 Berlin, GermanyColumbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University , New York, NY 10027, USAMercury has a very tenuous atmosphere starting at the surface, which is referred to as a surface-bound exosphere, where there are no collisions between exospheric particles. Having a surface-bound exosphere means that the particles in the exosphere have their origin on Mercury’s surface; thus, the composition of the exosphere is connected to the composition of the surface. In situ composition measurements of the exosphere can contribute to the study of the composition of the surface, together with a range of remote sensing techniques (ultraviolet, visible, infrared, X-ray, gamma-ray, and neutron spectroscopy). The external drivers for the particle release from the surface are solar photons, solar wind plasma, and micrometeoroid impacts. These drivers also cause space weathering of the surface, resulting in significant physical and chemical alterations in the regolith, ranging from the very surface to depths up to one meter. Modifications of the surface by space weathering must be considered when interpreting the composition measurements of the exosphere as well as the composition measurements of the surface by the established remote sensing techniques, because their information comes from the space-weathered volume of the surface. Therefore, the particle populations in the exosphere, space weathering, and the composition of the surface are intimately connected and must be studied together. In the following, we will review the connections between the surface and the exosphere of Mercury.https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ad95faPlanetary atmospheresPlanetary science |
| spellingShingle | Peter Wurz Noah Jäggi André Galli Audrey Vorburger Deborah Domingue Paul S. Szabo Johannes Benkhoff Océane Barraud Daniel Wolf Savin The Interplay of Surface Composition, Mineralogy, and Physical Conditions That Affect the Surface Release Processes and Particle Environment of Mercury The Planetary Science Journal Planetary atmospheres Planetary science |
| title | The Interplay of Surface Composition, Mineralogy, and Physical Conditions That Affect the Surface Release Processes and Particle Environment of Mercury |
| title_full | The Interplay of Surface Composition, Mineralogy, and Physical Conditions That Affect the Surface Release Processes and Particle Environment of Mercury |
| title_fullStr | The Interplay of Surface Composition, Mineralogy, and Physical Conditions That Affect the Surface Release Processes and Particle Environment of Mercury |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Interplay of Surface Composition, Mineralogy, and Physical Conditions That Affect the Surface Release Processes and Particle Environment of Mercury |
| title_short | The Interplay of Surface Composition, Mineralogy, and Physical Conditions That Affect the Surface Release Processes and Particle Environment of Mercury |
| title_sort | interplay of surface composition mineralogy and physical conditions that affect the surface release processes and particle environment of mercury |
| topic | Planetary atmospheres Planetary science |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ad95fa |
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