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Lunar soil record of atmosphere loss over eons
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DOI：10.1126/sciadv.adm7074.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
The Moon has a tenuous atmosphere produced by space weathering. The short-lived nature of the atoms surrounding the Moon necessitates continuous replenishment from lunar regolith through mechanisms such as micrometeorite impacts, ion sputtering, and photon-stimulated desorption. Despite advances, previous remote sensing and space mission data have not conclusively disentangled the contributions of these processes. Using high-precision potassium (K) and rubidium (Rb) isotopic analyses of lunar soils from the Apollo missions, our study sheds light on the lunar surface-atmosphere evolution over billions of years. The observed correlation between K and Rb isotopic ratios (delta Rb-87 = 0.17 delta K-41) indicates that, over long timescales, micrometeorite impact vaporization is the primary source of atoms in the lunar atmosphere.
Keywords:
PHOTON-STIMULATED DESORPTION
POTASSIUM ISOTOPIC COMPOSITION
MASS FRACTIONATION
SODIUM
ORIGIN
PLANETARY
EXOSPHERE
EVAPORATION
EARTH
MOON
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