| Auteur(s) supplémentaire(s) | I. Varatharajan (2), N. Bott (3), E. Caminiti (4), R. Dewey (5), T. Karlsson (6), J. S. Oliveira (7), G. Poh (8), W. Sun (9), J. Wright (10). |
| Institution(s) supplémentaire(s) | (1) Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale, CNRS/Université Paris-Sud, France. (2) Department of Geosciences, Stony Brook University, NY, US. (3) Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA. (4) LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, Paris, France. (5) University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. (6) Division of Space and Plasma Physics - KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden. (7) Space Magnetism Area, National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA), Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain. (8) NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Catholic University of America. (9) Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, US. (10) European Space Agency, ESAC, Spain |
Abstract | The Surface and Environment Interactions Studies (SEIS) Group, a subgroup of the BepiColombo Young Scientist Study Group (BCYSSG), was officially launched during the 20th BepiColombo Science Working Team (SWT) meeting on April 24, 2020. The aim of SEIS is to bring together the potential of an interdisciplinary approach through collaborations among motivated scientists of various research backgrounds to maximize our understanding of Hermean surface science in support of the BepiColombo mission which will arrive at Mercury in December 2025. Thus, the studies of this group examine the effects of compositional and physical properties of the Hermean surface due to a product of an interplay of solar wind interaction, larger impactors and cratering mechanisms, and interactions with internal magnetic fields. Interactions between the Hermean surface and its environment makes these actors also change individually
SEIS encapsulates broad scientific interests, which include but are not limited to Mercury’s internal magnetic field, magnetosphere-surface-exosphere interaction including space weathering, particle dynamics and precipitation, surface temperature, surface mineralogy, surface roughness, surface processes, physical properties, volatiles, polar deposits, tectonics, volcanism, impact cratering, stratigraphy, geological mapping, and 3D surface reconstruction, using ground-based, remote sensing, in situ observations, modelling, and field analogue studies. Combined together SEIS aims to answer questions about the planet’s formation and evolution, and will collectively work towards the selection of targets with high-priority science objectives to aid BepiColombo mission planning. The group has currently outlined about ten different projects of major scientific interest for the study of surface-environment interactions. These projects allow the young scientists of the group to share and use their unique expertise in a common scientific goal.
This poster aims to highlight all the current SEIS projects and present the preliminary study carried out by one of these SEIS projects which aims to investigate the influences of solar extreme events on Mercury’s surface and exosphere, i.e., the sputtering. The solar extreme events can lead to the direct impact of solar wind particles on Mercury's surface. The upstream conditions and the conducting core of Mercury determine the surface area that can be directly impacted by the solar wind. The precipitating solar wind particles can sputter neutrals into the exosphere and enhance the photo-desorption and thermal desorption from the grains on the surface. This extreme condition would enhance the escape of neutrals and maximize the escape of planetary ions into the interplanetary space.
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