N+: A Possible Gatekeeper of Surface Water
Date:
The poster talk is presented in the virtual GEM Workshop.
Abstract: Magnetic fields of rocky planets have been suggested to play an important role in planetary habitability by regulating the interaction between a planet and the stellar wind, while the absence of an intrinsic magnetic field may make a planet prone to atmospheric ablation through direct interaction between the stellar wind and the neutral atmosphere. At present-day Earth, the geomagnetic field acts to prevent direct contact between the solar wind and the atmosphere, while it facilitates the loss of the ionized component of the atmosphere (the ionosphere) into outer space. In addition, the stellar wind condition determined by the star activity is considered as one important factor to control the atmosphere sustained by the planet itself. Here, we test the extent to which the strength of planetary magnetic field and the solar EUV control the loss or retention of the heavy ions (N+ and O+) in the terrestrial atmosphere.
Recommended Citation: S. Shong, R. Ilie, M-Y. Lin, H. Hu, N+: Gatekeepers of A Possible Gatekeeper of Surface Water, Virtual GEM Plasma Workshop 2021