Electrostatic solitary wave modeling in lunar wake plasma.

Area of Science:

• Space Physics
• Plasma Physics
• Lunar Science

Background:

• NASA's ARTEMIS mission detected electrostatic waves in the lunar wake.
• Understanding these waves is crucial for lunar plasma environment dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a lunar plasma model to investigate electrostatic solitary waves.
• To analyze the influence of electron beams and superthermality on wave characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Developed a lunar plasma model including protons, alpha-particles, and electron beams.
• Employed a pseudopotential technique to study wave existence from first principles.
• Parametrically analyzed the combined effects of electron beams and superthermality.

Main Results:

• Identified three harmonic modes: ion-acoustic and two beam-driven electron-acoustic modes (fast and slow).
• Confirmed that only negative polarity structures exist for electron-acoustic modes.
• Observed good agreement between model results and ARTEMIS mission data.

Conclusions:

• The study explains the formation of electrostatic solitary waves in the lunar wake.
• Findings contribute to understanding nonlinear wave dynamics in unexplored lunar plasma regions.
• The model provides insights into wave phenomena observed by the ARTEMIS mission.