CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 UnportedKrauss, C. E.Horányi, M.Robertson, S.2025-03-032025-03-032003https://oa.tib.eu/renate/handle/123456789/18728https://doi.org/10.34657/17747Laboratory 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.enghttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/530CO2 atmosphereMarsArticle