A Plasma Irradiation System Optimized for Space Weathering of Solar System Bodies

Abstract

Abstract In the tenuous atmospheric bodies of our solar system, space weathering on the celestial surface is an important process for its chemical and physical evolution and ambient environment on timescales of celestial evolution. Space plasma is a dominant energy and material source for space weathering. Plasma irradiation experiment in the laboratory is an effective method for modeling long-term space weathering driven by space plasma. However, comprehensive modeling of plasma space weathering has not yet been conducted because the capabilities of the earlier facilities were not optimized for long-term space weathering; for example, the machine time and number flux of incident particles. Here, we developed a plasma irradiation system, Plasma Irradiation Emulator for Celestial Environments (PIECE) of the solar system bodies, which reproduces long-term plasma space weathering in tenuous atmospheric bodies by exclusive use. We successfully developed a system with high electron and ion number fluxes of ~1013 − 1016 particles cm-2s-1 at any acceleration energy in the range of 1–30 keV, which leads to the first-ever high fluence of ~1019 − 1022 particles cm-2s-1 with a 10-day irradiation time. This fluence corresponds to a plasma irradiation time of ~104–108 years on Europa.