The vicinity of small bodies such as the Moon and asteroids, as well as artificial satellites, forms a “plasma-solid boundary layer” where space plasma and solid surfaces come into direct contact without the mediation of a neutral atmosphere or magnetosphere. The importance of the research subject is being increasingly recognized along with the recent global surge in momentum for manned lunar exploration. This presentation will provide an overview of the charged particle processes and the associated electrostatic structures occurring in the space plasma-solid boundary layers, while introducing the numerical simulation research the author has pursued. It will specifically discuss a new class of lunar surface charging mechanisms that has been numerically predicted in recent years. Finally, in light of recent advances in lunar exploration, I will share thoughts on the necessary collaboration moving forward between numerical research and observational/ground-based experimental studies.
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