A Survey of Strong Electric Potential Drops in the Ionosphere of Venus

Abstract

Abstract Every planet or moon with an ionosphere is thought to generate a weak electrical potential which helps ions overcome gravity and escape to space. A pilot study at Venus by Collinson et al. (2016, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL068327) indicated a planetary potential an order of magnitude stronger than expected. Here we present a statistical study of the electrical potential drop in the ionosphere of Venus, which was found to be an average of 7.04 ± 2.19 V. However, these strong potentials measured by Venus Express are likely atypical and extreme outliers associated with a transient phenomenon in the Venusian ionosphere. We posit they are associated with transient and sporadic density cavities in the ionosphere and may be the result of sporadic electrostatic double layer formation in the dayside ionosphere.

Keywords

• Venus
• electric field
• ambipolar field
• electric potential
• ionosphere
• ionospheric escape