HR: 1340h
AN: P23A-0245    [Abstracts]
TI: Single-particle model of Mercury's magnetosphere and exosphere.
AU: * Mura, A
EM: mura@ifsi.rm.cnr.it
AF: Istituto di Fisica dello Spazio Interplanetario, 100 Via del Fosso del Cavaliere,, Roma, Ita 00133 Italy
AU: Milillo, A
EM: anna@ifsi.rm.cnr.it
AF: Istituto di Fisica dello Spazio Interplanetario, 100 Via del Fosso del Cavaliere,, Roma, Ita 00133 Italy
AU: Wurs, P
EM: peter.wurz@soho.unibe.ch
AF: Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, Bern, Swi CH-3012 Switzerland
AU: Orsini, S
EM: orsini@ifsi.rm.cnr.it
AF: Istituto di Fisica dello Spazio Interplanetario, 100 Via del Fosso del Cavaliere,, Roma, Ita 00133 Italy
AU: Lammer, H
EM: helmut.lammer@oeaw.ac.at
AF: Space Research Institute, Schmiedlstr. 6, Graz, Aus A-8042 Austria
AB: The peculiar configuration of the Hermean magnetosphere may allow a solar wind entrance and circulation in Mercury's environment. Cusp regions are extremely large if compared to the Earth's ones, so that intense ion fluxes can be expected there. The solar wind particles are likely to rapidly leave the Hermean magnetosphere or precipitate onto the surface of the planet, thus originating neutral particle emission via ion-sputtering. The exosphere is also refilled by photon-stimulated and thermal desorption processes (also occurring at the planetary surface), and eroded by photon-ionisation and Jeans escape. In the present study, we reconstruct the global distributions of H, O and Na (both neutral and ionised), taking into account the above-mentioned processes, by means of a single-particle model. The Neutral Particle Analyser - Ion Spectrometer experiment (NPA-IS/SERENA), proposed to fly on board of the ESA mission Bepi Colombo, will monitor the circulating ion and neutral particles. The modelled distributions here presented may be considered as a reference tool for the future observations.
DE: 5421 Interactions with particles and fields
DE: 5443 Magnetospheres (2756)
DE: 5464 Remote sensing
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting