Plasma in the Vicinity of an Active Asteroid

Plasma–dust processes in the vicinity of an active asteroid are analyzed. Distribution functions of photoelectrons, along with altitude dependences of charge, size, and number density of dust particles, are determined based on the Physics and Mathematics model self-consistently describing number densities of photoelectrons and dust particles above the illuminated part of an active asteroid. It is demonstrated that processes related to gas flow from the surface areas of the asteroid containing water represents an important factor that has an impact on formation of the plasma–dust system in the vicinity of an active asteroid. The gas flows make levitation of small particles impossible. On the other hand, it turns out that relatively large dust particles can be considered levitating above the asteroid surface.