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Yes, not just hydrogen but even heavier atoms and molecules. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_escape#Thermal_escape_mechanisms https://en.wikipedia
by wahern 6y ago
Yes, not just hydrogen but even heavier atoms and molecules. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_escape#Thermal_escape_mechanisms https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_escape#Thermal_esc...
The Wikipedia article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrodynamic_escape https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrodynamic_escape) on hydrodynamic escape talks about escaping heavy molecules as if that's the principle function of the mechanism. But in much of the scientific literature on early Venus, hydrodynamic escape seems to refer primarily to the escape of free hydrogen.[1] I'm not a scientist so I don't know what to make of that, but in any event thermal mechanisms (i.e. Jeans and hydrodynamic) can absolutely cause gaseous particles to reach escape velocity.
[1] Photodissociation splits H2O, hydrogen is kicked out into space via thermal mechanisms, and much of the remaining oxygen, too heavy to escape at a significant rate under the local parameters, is sequestered by the molten core, volcanism, and surface weathering. At least, that's how I understand the literature as a layman. The modern debates and research seem to be centered around the particularities, especially the early geology, such as how long core material was exposed.