Browsing by Author "Krauss, C. E."

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    Experimental evidence for electrostatic discharging of dust near the surface of Mars
    ([London] : IOP, 2003) Krauss, C. E.; Horányi, M.; Robertson, S.
    Laboratory experiments have shown that single non-conductive dust grains can attain large electric potentials due to triboelectric charging. When grains within a dust cloud interact, they become charged. An electric field forms when upwinds within the cloud cause a separation of large and small particles. We have performed laboratory experiments to determine the necessary conditions for triboelectric charging in a cloud of Martian regolith simulant to break down a low-pressure CO2 atmosphere and create electrical discharges. The range of pressures and the simulated wind speeds over which discharges are observed have been determined. The effects of particle-size distribution on the observed discharge rates are also discussed.