The cosmic-ray induced ionization, radiation dose, and habitability of Venus(-like planets)
Abstract
Cosmic rays bombarding planetary atmospheres are a major source of atmospheric ionization and radiation. The higher the energy of the primary particles, the deeper they penetrate into the (exo)planetary atmosphere and the more likely they induce extensive secondary particle cascades containing up to several billion secondary particles per incoming primary particle. Inside the Venusian atmosphere, cosmic rays are the dominant driver for the ionization as well as dose rate below an altitude of ∼100 km. Here we revisit the numerical modeling of both quantities due to the influence of galactic cosmic rays from Hydrogen (Z = 1) to Nickel (Z = 28) and investigate the influence of strong solar/stellar energetic particle events inside thick CO2-dominated atmospheres with the Atmospheric Radiation Interaction Simulator (AtRIS).
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFM.P23B3491H
- Keywords:
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- 5210 Planetary atmospheres;
- clouds;
- and hazes;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: ASTROBIOLOGY;
- 6207 Comparative planetology;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS;
- 6296 Extra-solar planets;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS;
- 5405 Atmospheres;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLID SURFACE PLANETS