Grant: Alliance Grants

The objective of this proposal is to develop a combined theoretical and experimental approach to better explain the connection between the surface of an airless planetary body and its exosphere. While there are several different mechanisms that can lead to the ejection of a surface atom, they are all sensitive to understanding the chemistry and binding of the ejected atom to the planet's surface. However, most studies consider only ejection from planetary minerals but not the fate of those atoms once ejected. These atoms will eventually fall back onto the surface and build up an adsorbed layer with much different compositions and binding energies than the mineral. Ejection from these layers is likely a far different process. This collaboration will use a combination of atomistic modelling and state of the art experiments to provide first of their kind models that account for the role of these adsorbed layers on predicted exosphere contributors. The parameters derived from this novel approach will improve predictions of the various sources and sinks to the exospheres of airless bodies and will be used to interpret upcoming flyby data of the Bepicolombo Mission. Overall, the goal of this project is to develop a long-term international collaboration that can be used to study multidimensional planetary science questions while also providing world-class training opportunities for Canadian trainees.