Fixed Bias Probe Measurement of a Satellite Floating Potential

First results from the Sweeping Langmuir Probe (SLP) instrument on board PICASSO

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-9915 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sylvain Ranvier ◽

Johan De Keyser ◽

Jean-Pierre Lebreton

Keyword(s):

Electron Temperature ◽

Spatial Resolution ◽

Plasma Density ◽

Langmuir Probe ◽

Floating Potential ◽

Polar Caps ◽

Spacecraft Potential ◽

Wide Range ◽

First Results ◽

Fixed Bias

The Sweeping Langmuir Probe (SLP) instrument on board the Pico-Satellite for Atmospheric and Space Science Observations (PICASSO) has been developed at the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy.&#160; PICASSO, an ESA in-orbit demonstrator launched in September 2020, is a triple unit CubeSat orbiting at about 540 km altitude with 97 degrees inclination. The SLP instrument includes four independent cylindrical probes that are used to measure the plasma density and electron temperature as well as the floating potential of the spacecraft. Along the orbit of PICASSO the plasma density is expected to fluctuate over a wide range, from about 1e8/m3 at high latitude up to more than 1e12/m3 at low/mid latitude. SLP can measure plasma density from 1e8/m3 to 1e13/m3. The electron temperature is expected to lie between approximately 1000 K and 10.000 K. Given the high inclination of the orbit, SLP will allow a global monitoring of the ionosphere. Using the traditional sweeping mode, the maximum spatial resolution is of the order of a few hundred meters for the plasma density, electron temperature and spacecraft potential. With the fixed-bias mode, the electron density can be measured with a spatial resolution of about 1.5 m. The main goals are to study the ionosphere-plasmasphere coupling, the subauroral ionosphere and corresponding magnetospheric features together with auroral structures and polar caps, by combining SLP data with other complementary data sources (space- or ground-based instruments). The first results from SLP will be presented.

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Payload charging events in the mesosphere and their impact on Langmuir type electric probes

Annales Geophysicae ◽

10.5194/angeo-31-187-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 31 (2) ◽

pp. 187-196 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

T. A. Bekkeng ◽

A. Barjatya ◽

U.-P. Hoppe ◽

A. Pedersen ◽

J. I. Moen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Langmuir Probe ◽

Density Measurement ◽

Meteor Shower ◽

Charged Dust ◽

Floating Potential ◽

Langmuir Probes ◽

Sounding Rockets ◽

Spacecraft Charging ◽

Meteoric Smoke ◽

Fixed Bias

Abstract. Three sounding rockets were launched from Andøya Rocket Range in the ECOMA campaign in December 2010. The aim was to study the evolution of meteoric smoke particles during a major meteor shower. Of the various instruments onboard the rocket payload, this paper presents the data from a multi-Needle Langmuir Probe (m-NLP) and a charged dust detector. The payload floating potential, as observed using the m-NLP instrument, shows charging events on two of the three flights. These charging events cannot be explained using a simple charging model, and have implications towards the use of fixed bias Langmuir probes on sounding rockets investigating mesospheric altitudes. We show that for a reliable use of a single fixed bias Langmuir probe as a high spatial resolution relative density measurement, each payload should also carry an additional instrument to measure payload floating potential, and an instrument that is immune to spacecraft charging and measures absolute plasma density.

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