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Analysis of Thermal and Dielectric Loss Features of Lunar Regolith Considering Real‐Time Effect Solar Irradiance.

Authors :
Chen, Shurui
Feng, Yongjiu
Tong, Xiaohua
Tang, Panli
Yang, Qiquan
Xiao, Changjiang
Xu, Xiong
Wang, Chao
Jin, Yanmin
Source :
Earth & Space Science; Jul2024, Vol. 11 Issue 7, p1-17, 17p
Publication Year :
2024

Abstract

Solar irradiance received at the lunar surface is crucial for interpreting brightness temperatures detected by orbiters and for understanding the thermal, physical, and dielectric properties of the lunar regolith. We developed a real‐time effect solar irradiance (ESI) model that accounts for the influence of surface relief and terrain shading. This model was integrated with a standard thermal model to examine ESI fluctuations and their impacts on the diurnal physical temperature variations. To assess the effects of spatial resolution, we selected four locations with significant ESI disparities for simulation, then compared lunar surface temperatures at various spatial scales, ranging from 20 m to 25 km. Utilizing brightness temperature data obtained from the Chang'E‐2 (CE‐2) microwave radiometer (MRM), we integrated the shallow physical temperature profiles with the radiative transfer equation to simulate brightness temperatures and determine dielectric loss at different frequencies. In the Von Kármán crater, the received ESI exhibits a cyclical pattern of approximately 18 years and areas with rugged topography may exhibit larger ESI variations (∼7%). We found that the spatial resolution of ESI has a minimal effect on the physical and brightness temperatures at resolutions of 10 km or coarser. At the shallow layer, the average dielectric loss values are 0.0128–0.0170, 0.0083–0.0110, 0.0055–0.0073, and 0.0061–0.0081 for the CE‐2 frequencies of 3, 7.8, 19.35, and 37 GHz, respectively. The integration of real‐time ESI modeling, thermal dynamics, radiative transfer equations, and observational data enhances our comprehension of the physical temperature profile and thermal characteristics of shallow regolith. Plain Language Summary: The combination of solar irradiance and temperature data sets detected by orbiters can help to explain the temperature variation and thermophysical properties of shallow lunar surface. This study develops a real‐time effect solar irradiance (ESI) model that takes into account the influence of lunar topography and integrates it with a thermal model to simulate physical temperature variations within the Von Kármán crater. We compared lunar surface physical temperature profiles at spatial resolutions of 20, 240, 500 m, 1, 5, 10, 15, and 25 km, each exhibiting distinct ESI characteristics, to assess the impact of spatial resolution. We then simulated the temperature data in the four frequencies consistent with Chang'E‐2 (CE‐2) microwave radiometer and obtained the average ranges of dielectric loss. At 3, 7.8, 19.35, and 37 GHz, the average dielectric loss ranges were determined to be 0.0128–0.0170, 0.0083–0.0110, 0.0055–0.0073, and 0.0061–0.0081, respectively. These findings provide valuable insights for analyzing lunar surface temperature and observed brightness temperature, as well as for inverting physical and dielectric properties of the shallow regolith (e.g., dielectric loss). Key Points: Analyzing lunar shallow temperature variation with real‐time effect solar irradiance (ESI) model considering terrain influenceAssessing the real‐time ESI impact on physical and brightness temperature curves at diverse spatial resolutionsEstimating the dielectric loss of shallow regolith by coupling simulated brightness temperature data with observations [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
23335084
Volume :
11
Issue :
7
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Earth & Space Science
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
178684218
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1029/2024EA003736