Three‐Dimensional Electrostatic Hybrid Particle‐In‐Cell Simulations of the Plasma Mini‐Wake Near a Lunar Polar Crater

Abstract

AbstractLunar polar region has become the focus of future explorations due to the possible ice reservoir in the permanently shadowed craters. However, the space environment near the polar crater is quite complicated, and a plasma mini‐wake can be caused by the topographic obstruction. So far, three‐dimensional (3D) numerical simulations of the mini‐wake around a crater far larger than the Debye length are still limited. Here we present a 3D electrostatic hybrid particle‐in‐cell model to study the plasma mini‐wake of a polar crater on scale of about 1 km. It is found that the mini‐wake can begin upstream from the crater with a cone angle of about 8.8°. There is a plasma void with extra electrons near the leeward crater wall, where the electric potential can be as low as −60 V. A part of solar wind ions can be diverted into the crater, and the ratio of the diverted flux is about 4% on the crater bottom and about 18% on the windward crater wall, which provide an important source for the surface sputtering. Further studies show that the mini‐wake can change with the solar wind parameters and the crater shapes. Our results are helpful to assess the space environment and the water loss rate of a polar crater, and have general implications in studying the plasma mini‐wake caused by a crater on the other airless bodies.