Description: | Though space plasma is normally extremely tenuous, it still carries a significant amount of material and energy between stars, planets, moons and comets. The interaction of this plasma with different obstacles can be very variable, depending on the exact nature of the object.
One way to study these interaction processes is via Particle-In-Cell simulations. Results of such simulations are presented, including the water loss of Mars, the plasma erosion of comets during solar approach, and the excitation of stellar chromospheric activity by a close-in exoplanet. |