Modeling exospheres: analytical and numerical methods with application examples

Exospheres, the tenuous gas environments surrounding planets, planetary satellites, and cometary comae, play a significant role in mediating the interactions of these astronomical bodies with their surrounding space environments. This paper presents a comprehensive review of both analytical and nume...

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Main Authors: Valeriy Tenishev, Yinsi Shou, Yuni Lee, Yingjuan Ma, Michael R. Combi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-12-01
Series:Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2024.1484360/full
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author Valeriy Tenishev
Yinsi Shou
Yuni Lee
Yuni Lee
Yingjuan Ma
Michael R. Combi
author_facet Valeriy Tenishev
Yinsi Shou
Yuni Lee
Yuni Lee
Yingjuan Ma
Michael R. Combi
author_sort Valeriy Tenishev
collection DOAJ
description Exospheres, the tenuous gas environments surrounding planets, planetary satellites, and cometary comae, play a significant role in mediating the interactions of these astronomical bodies with their surrounding space environments. This paper presents a comprehensive review of both analytical and numerical methods employed in modeling exospheres. The paper explores analytical models, including the Chamberlain and Haser models, which have significantly contributed to our understanding of exospheres of planets, planetary satellites, and cometary comae. Despite their simplicity, these models provide baselines for more complex simulations. Numerical methods, particularly the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method, have proven to be highly effective in capturing the detailed dynamics of exospheres under non-equilibrium conditions. The DSMC method’s capacity to incorporate a wide range of physical processes, such as particle collisions, chemical reactions, and surface interactions, makes it an indispensable tool in planetary science. The Adaptive Mesh Particle Simulator (AMPS), which employs the DSMC method, has demonstrated its versatility and effectiveness in simulating gases in planetary and satellite exospheres and dusty gas cometary comae. It provides a detailed characterization of the physical processes that govern these environments. Additionally, the multi-fluid model BATSRUS has been effective in modeling neutral gases in cometary comae, as discussed in the paper. The paper presents methodologies of exosphere modeling and illustrates them with specific examples, including the modeling of the Enceladus plume, the sodium exosphere of the Moon, the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, and the hot oxygen corona of Mars and Venus.
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spelling doaj-art-b01661164fdb45d99a666a0b8acb32482024-12-12T06:18:28ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences2296-987X2024-12-011110.3389/fspas.2024.14843601484360Modeling exospheres: analytical and numerical methods with application examplesValeriy Tenishev0Yinsi Shou1Yuni Lee2Yuni Lee3Yingjuan Ma4Michael R. Combi5Heliophysics and Planetary Science Branch, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL, United StatesDepartment of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesCenter for Space Sciences and Technology, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, United StatesPlanetary Environments Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, United StatesDepartment of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United StatesDepartment of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesExospheres, the tenuous gas environments surrounding planets, planetary satellites, and cometary comae, play a significant role in mediating the interactions of these astronomical bodies with their surrounding space environments. This paper presents a comprehensive review of both analytical and numerical methods employed in modeling exospheres. The paper explores analytical models, including the Chamberlain and Haser models, which have significantly contributed to our understanding of exospheres of planets, planetary satellites, and cometary comae. Despite their simplicity, these models provide baselines for more complex simulations. Numerical methods, particularly the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method, have proven to be highly effective in capturing the detailed dynamics of exospheres under non-equilibrium conditions. The DSMC method’s capacity to incorporate a wide range of physical processes, such as particle collisions, chemical reactions, and surface interactions, makes it an indispensable tool in planetary science. The Adaptive Mesh Particle Simulator (AMPS), which employs the DSMC method, has demonstrated its versatility and effectiveness in simulating gases in planetary and satellite exospheres and dusty gas cometary comae. It provides a detailed characterization of the physical processes that govern these environments. Additionally, the multi-fluid model BATSRUS has been effective in modeling neutral gases in cometary comae, as discussed in the paper. The paper presents methodologies of exosphere modeling and illustrates them with specific examples, including the modeling of the Enceladus plume, the sodium exosphere of the Moon, the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, and the hot oxygen corona of Mars and Venus.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2024.1484360/fullMarsVenusEnceladusMoon67P/Churyumov-GerasimenkoAdaptive Mesh Particle Simulator (AMPS)
spellingShingle Valeriy Tenishev
Yinsi Shou
Yuni Lee
Yuni Lee
Yingjuan Ma
Michael R. Combi
Modeling exospheres: analytical and numerical methods with application examples
Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences
Mars
Venus
Enceladus
Moon
67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Adaptive Mesh Particle Simulator (AMPS)
title Modeling exospheres: analytical and numerical methods with application examples
title_full Modeling exospheres: analytical and numerical methods with application examples
title_fullStr Modeling exospheres: analytical and numerical methods with application examples
title_full_unstemmed Modeling exospheres: analytical and numerical methods with application examples
title_short Modeling exospheres: analytical and numerical methods with application examples
title_sort modeling exospheres analytical and numerical methods with application examples
topic Mars
Venus
Enceladus
Moon
67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Adaptive Mesh Particle Simulator (AMPS)
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2024.1484360/full
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