Mercury's Internal Structure

Margot, Jean-Luc; Hauck, Steven A.; Mazarico, Erwan M.; Padovan, Sebastiano; Peale, Stanton J.

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NASA NTRS · 20190002330

Mercury's Internal Structure

Margot, Jean-Luc·Hauck, Steven A.·Mazarico, Erwan M.·Padovan, Sebastiano·Peale, Stanton J.

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Abstract

We describe the current state of knowledge about Mercury's interior structure. We review the available observationalconstraints, including mass, size, density, gravity eld, spin state, composition, and tidal response. These data enablethe construction of models that represent the distribution of mass inside Mercury. In particular, we infer radial prolesof the pressure, density, and gravity in the core, mantle, and crust. We also examine Mercury's rotational dynamicsand the inuence of an inner core on the spin state and the determination of the moment of inertia. Finally, we discussthe wide-ranging implications of Mercury's internal structure on its thermal evolution, surface geology, capture in aunique spin-orbit resonance, and magnetic eld generation.

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Margot, Jean-Luc, Hauck, Steven A., Mazarico, Erwan M., Padovan, Sebastiano, Peale, Stanton J.. 2019-03-01. Mercury's Internal Structure. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20190002330

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