Experiments on the Simulation and Visualization of Dusty Plasma in the Vicinity of an Atmosphereless Cosmic Body

This work presents a laboratory experiment on the formation of dusty plasma and the visualization of flows of charged dust particles ranging in a diameter from 10 to 100 µm. These particles consist of silicon dioxide, a component of lunar regolith. The influence of near-surface plasma simulated using an electrostatic field and ultraviolet radiation (UV) on the dynamics of regolith-analog particles is examined. Particle trajectories and changes in the surface topography of the particles are visualized, and estimates of their takeoff velocities are obtained. It is shown that the pattern of the particle motion in dusty plasma depends on the presence of UV radiation and the size of the particles themselves. The results of this study are of interest for understanding the physical processes occurring near the surface of the Moon and other atmosphereless bodies in the Solar System, such as Mercury, asteroids, and the moons of Mars.