Microwave Simulation Experiments on Regolith (Lunar Dust) Deposition on Stainless Steel.

Nina N Skvortsova,Elena V Voronova,Dmitry V Malakhov,Vladimir D Stepakhin,Nailya S Akhmadullina,Andrey A Sorokin,Valentin D Borzosekov,Oleg N Shishilov,Namik G Gusein-Zade

doi:10.3390/ma14216472

Nina N Skvortsova, Elena V Voronova + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14216472

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Abstract

In this article, results are presented of experiments on depositing charged particles, which imitate the levitating dust on the Moon, on stainless steel. Ensembles of particles are created above the surface of laboratory regolith whose composition and particle size distribution imitate the dust that covers the Moon’s surface. Under the action of the gyrotron radiation on regolith, non-linear physical-chemical processes develop (breakdown, chain plasmachemical reactions, and particle scattering by the Coulomb mechanism), which lead to the appearance of a levitating cloud of particles. The simulation experiment is based on the similarity between the processes that develop in the laboratory experiments with regolith and the processes that occur on the Moon during its bombardment by micrometeorites. The effect of the levitating cloud on stainless steel plates is studied and it is shown that regolith particles in the shape of spheroids of different sizes are deposited on the surface of the plates. The dimensions of the deposited particles and the density of their placement depend on the quality of treatment of the plate surface. It is shown that the laboratory-produced dusty plasma can be used in simulation experiments to study the modification of surfaces of different materials for space technology.

Highlights

After the discovery and identification [1,2] of plasma-dust clouds above the Moon’s surface, the interest in studying these objects continuously grows
We proposed a method for creating levitating clouds of charged particles for simulation experiments on the action of lunar dust on different surfaces [43]
At microwave pulse energy 1–3 kJ, multiple microwave breakdowns between regolith particles lead to the appearance of plasma inside the powder mixture, which helped the absorption of microwaves and heating of the mixture

Summary

Introduction

After the discovery and identification [1,2] of plasma-dust clouds above the Moon’s surface, the interest in studying these objects continuously grows. Charged microparticles on the Moon have increased adhesion ability, which introduces various limitations to the use of space systems on its surface, from the contamination of the surface of solar panels to the decreased operational life of the details of rubbing mechanisms [8,9] This is why it is currently important to obtain flows and levitating clouds of charged dust similar to lunar dust under laboratory conditions [10,11,12,13,14] to conduct simulation experiments and testing of both materials and components of future space technology, including lunar habitats [15,16]. It is difficult to use such injectors to create clouds of microparticles that imitate the chemical composition and size distribution of lunar dust and use such clouds to process large areas of material surface

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