Transport Parameters and Breakdown Voltage Characteristics of Gas Mixture Representing Martian Atmosphere and Its Constituents

M. Radmilović-Radjenović, B. Radjenović Institute of Physics, University of Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia

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This paper reports on transport parameters and the breakdown voltage curves of the gases included in the composition of the Martian atmosphere. The planet Mars has a thin, carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere, with an atmospheric volume of less than 1% of Earth's. The understanding of electrical discharge processes occurring in the Martian atmosphere and potential hazards due to arcing on landers and rovers becomes increasingly important for designing space-flight hardware. Although local convective events known as dust devils occur daily, the focus was put on the electric discharge which causes problems even in dust-free atmospheres. Ionization coefficients, electron energy distribution functions, and mean energy for the Mars gas mixture and its constituents were calculated by Bolsig+, a numerical solver for the Boltzmann equation. It was found that Mars mixture and carbon dioxide as a majority component are similar and not affected by the addition of other components. The results of this study indicate that flight electronics should be designed not to exceed an absolute potential difference of more than 511 V when operating in the Martian atmosphere.

DOI:10.12693/APhysPolA.139.698 topics: atmosphere, mixture, discharges, arcing