Abstract
THE lunar magnetometer experiment1 has made important contributions to studies of the lunar interior. The magnetic fluctuation data can be used to estimate the structure of lunar electrical conductivity because it allows comparisons of predicted and observed lunar electromagnetic responses. There are many complications in the correct computation of predicted responses, and approximations are always used. There has been a gradual evolution of models, each improvement including more and more complications, with resultant changes in the estimated conductivities. The first models2 had a solar wind incident on the Moon from all sides, in order to approximate the front side lunar response. The backside data was modelled by a Moon in a vacuum1. Improvements in the front side response were made by incorporating the effects of a finite solar wind velocity3. Previous calculations on a cylindrical model4 indicated that the presence of the void region behind the Moon could also modify the sunlit side response. Formal solutions to the electromagnetic problem in such a geometry have been presented5.
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LEAVY, D., MADDEN, T. Lunar electrical conductivity. Nature 250, 553–555 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/250553a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/250553a0
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