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Validate global mapping of internal lunar magnetic field

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Abstract

In this work, we report a global mapping of vector lunar magnetic field based on new method of separation of internal and external fields. The magnetic measurements collected during the lifetime of lunar prospector (LP) extended mission during 1999 were strongly disturbed by the solar wind, a period which coincided with a maximum of the 23 cycle activity. The multiscale wavelength external fields were analyzed using spherical harmonic transform. The external field determined by inversion was then removed from each magnetic field component for each half orbit. To map the vector magnetic crustal anomalies, all LP magnetometer data collected at low altitudes in the three different lunar environments: (1) geomagnetic tail, (2) solar wind, and (3) geomagnetic sheath were processed using this new approach. The results obtained using these selection criteria allow us to get a global coverage of the lunar surface by the vector magnetic field at variable spacecraft low altitudes. To validate our mapping, we have developed and applied a method based on properties of potential fields functions. This method can be used to determine both horizontal north and east components using only vertical component. The validated lunar internal magnetic measurements obtained at variable spacecraft altitudes were then continued to a common altitude of 30 km using an inverse method. This mapping confirms firstly the nature of the crustal sources of lunar magnetic field and clearly shows that the strongest concentrations of anomalies are associated with high albedo and/or located antipodal to large young basins (Orientale, Serenitatis, Imbrium, and Crisium) of age about 3.9 Ga.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Départment de Géophysique USTHB, University of Algiers, PB 32 El-Alia Bab-Ezzouar, 16111, Algiers, Algeria

    Mohamed Sharif Berguig & Mohamed Hamoudi

  2. Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris. 1, Place de Jussieu, 75252, Paris, France

    Jean Louis Lemouël & Yves Cohen

Authors
  1. Mohamed Sharif Berguig
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  2. Mohamed Hamoudi
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  3. Jean Louis Lemouël
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  4. Yves Cohen
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Correspondence to Mohamed Sharif Berguig.

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Berguig, M.S., Hamoudi, M., Lemouël, J.L. et al. Validate global mapping of internal lunar magnetic field. Arab J Geosci 6, 1063–1072 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-011-0406-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-011-0406-4

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