We calculated the cross sections of photolysis of OH, LiO, NaO, KO, HCl, LiCl, NaCl, KCl, HF, LiF, NaF, and KF molecules using quantum chemistry methods. The maximal values for photolysis cross sections of alkali metal monoxides are on the order of 10(-18) cm(2). The lifetimes of photolysis for quiet Sun at 1 astronomical unit are estimated as 2.0 x 10(5), 28, 5, 14, 2.1 x 10(5), 225, 42, 52, 2 x 10(6), 35 400, 486, and 30 400 s for OH, LiO, NaO, KO, HCl, LiCl, NaCl, KCl, HF, LiF, NaF, and KF, respectively. We performed a comparison between values of photolysis lifetimes obtained in this work and in previous studies. Based on such a comparison, our estimations of photolysis lifetimes of OH, HCl, and HF have an accuracy of about a factor of 2. We determined typical kinetic energies of main peaks of photolysis-generated metal atoms. Impact-produced LiO, NaO, KO, NaCl, and KCl molecules are destroyed in the lunar and Hermean exospheres almost completely during the first ballistic flight, while other considered molecules are more stable against destruction by photolysis.

Influence of the meteoroid bombardment on properties of the lunar exosphere has been confirmed. Quick increase in the zenith column density of Na atoms above the lunar north pole on August 13, 2009 at 0-1 UT is detected and explained by numerous collisions of relatively small Perseid meteoroids ( < 1 kg) with the Moon during maximum of the Perseid meteor shower. New stringent upper limits of the column densities for Ca, Ba, and Ti atoms in the lunar exosphere are obtained as 5 x 10(7), 2.2 x 10(6), and 6.9 x 10(8) cm(-2), respectively. It is found that the content of impact-produced Ca and Al atoms in the lunar exosphere is depleted as compared to that of Na atoms. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Based on the equilibrium thermochemical approach and quenching theory, the formation of Na-, K-, Li-, Si-, Ca-, Al-, Mg-, and Fe-bearing molecules and dust particles in impact-produced clouds formed after collisions between meteoroids and the Moon is considered. Photolysis lifetimes and energies of photolysis products of oxides and hydroxides of the main elements are estimated. The estimated fraction of uncondensed species, and list of the main molecules and their properties regarding photolysis during impact processes may be useful for the analysis of future observations of atoms of alkali and refractory elements in the exospheres of the Moon and Mercury. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Context. The Moon has a tenuous exosphere consisting of atoms that are ejected from the surface by energetic processes, including hypervelocity micrometeoritic impacts, photon-stimulated desorption by UV radiation, and ion sputtering. Aims. We calculate the vapor and neutral Na production rates on the Moon caused by impacts of meteoroids in the radius range of 5-100 mu m. We considered a previously published dynamical model to compute the flux of meteoroids at the heliocentric distance of the Moon. Methods. The orbital evolution of dust particles of different sizes is computed with an N-body numerical code. It includes the effects of Poynting-Robertson drag, solar wind drag, and planetary perturbations. The vapor production rate and the number of neutral atoms released in the exosphere of the Moon are computed with a well-established formulation. Results. The result shows that the neutral Na production rate computed following our model is higher than previous estimates. This difference can be due to the dynamical evolution model that we used to compute the flux and also to the mean velocity, which is 15.3 kms(-1) instead of 12.75 km s(-1) as reported in literature. Conclusions. Until now, the micrometeoritic impacts have been considered a negligible source for the release of neutral sodium atoms into the exosphere compared to other mechanisms, but according to our calculations, the contribution may be 8% of the photo-stimulated desorption at the subsolar point, becoming similar in the dawn and dusk regions and dominant on the night side.

After a brief historical review about the Moon sodium exosphere and lunar impacts, the attention is focused on the lack of enhancements of the sodium emissions by meteor showers different from Leonids. In order to contribute to the solution of this problem we perform an order-of-magnitude calculation of the physical conditions of sodium atoms during meteoroid impacts. This calculation suggests that the lack of sodium emission enhancements during different meteor showers could be caused by the different ionization degree of the sodium atoms which, in turn, depends on the meteoroid impact velocity.