Abstract

The possibility of the formation of microspherules in plasma-dust processes initiated by meteoroids impacting the lunar surface is discussed. It is demonstrated that spherules are formed from the material of the melt zone created by a high-speed meteoroid impacting the lunar surface. Initially, they rise above the surface of the Moon and then fall back. It is these spherules that were found in the course of investigation of the lunar soil. Liquid spherules solidify while floating above the surface of the Moon and acquire electric charges as a result of the interaction with electrons and ions, together with the solar radiation, thereby becoming part of the plasma-dust system above the Moon. The concentration of spherules in dusty plasma above the lunar surface and their size distribution are obtained. The upper bound of the spherule size in the distribution is determined by the existence of the upper bound in the statistical data on the size of relatively small meteoroids and amounts to several micrometers. The size of spherules substantially larger than 1 μm corresponds to meteoroids larger than 1 cm. It is impossible to obtain unique statistics with respect to size for large meteoroids. Therefore, it is possible to obtain the size distribution only of spherules of micron and submicron size. The size of meteoroids impacting the lunar surface and creating relatively large spherules can only be estimated. It is demonstrated that the presence of spherules in dusty plasma above the lunar surface can be discovered by piezoelectric sensors during future Luna-25 and Luna-27 missions.

中文翻译：

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流星撞击引发的尘埃过程中月牙巨石微球的形成

摘要

讨论了由流星体撞击月球表面引发的等离子体尘埃过程中微球形成的可能性。事实证明，小球是由高速流星体撞击月球表面所形成的融化带材料形成的。最初，它们上升到月球表面上方，然后下降。这些小球是在对月球土壤进行调查的过程中发现的。液体小球在漂浮在月球表面上方的同时凝固，并由于与电子和离子相互作用以及太阳辐射而获得电荷，从而成为月球上方的等离子粉尘系统的一部分。获得了月球表面上方尘埃血浆中的小球浓度及其大小分布。球粒大小在分布中的上限由相对较小的流星体大小的统计数据中是否存在上限决定，上限为几微米。基本上大于1μm的球体尺寸对应于大于1 cm的流星体。无法获得有关大型流星体大小的唯一统计信息。因此，可以仅获得微米级和亚微米级尺寸的小球的尺寸分布。流星体撞击月球表面并形成相对较大的小球的大小只能估算。结果表明，在未来的Luna-25和Luna-27任务中，压电传感器可以在月球表面上方的尘土等离子体中发现小球的存在。