| Abstract: | We present the results of a theoretical study of the dependence of radio emission from Mercury at wavelengths 0.3–76.8 cm
on the structure and composition of its outer layer. Employing different models for the structure of this layer, we show that
the radiative component of the heat flux strongly influences the effective temperature and its spectral characteristics. Using
the two-stratum model, we demonstrate that account of morphological inhomogeneity over the depth of the outer layer is crucial
for interpreting the data on radio emission from Mercury measured with high resolution over the planet’s surface. The obtained
results may be useful for comparing experimental data with theory to determine the physical characteristics of the upper cover
of Mercury.
The results of this paper were partially reported at the XXVII Radio Astronomical Conference (St. Petersburg, November 10–14,
1997) 1].
Radiophysical Research Institute, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika,
Vol. 42, No. 3, pp. 203–214, March 1999. |
