Long-Term Study of Active Spacecraft Potential Control
Long-Term Study of Active Spacecraft Potential Control
复制标题
主动航天器电位控制的长期研究
DOI：
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发表时间：
2008
影响因子：
1.5
通讯作者：
W. Steiger
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
K. Torkar;A. Eriksson;P. Lindqvist;W. Steiger
2000年至2004年间，基于液态金属离子源原理的发射器一直在Cluster航天器上运行，以控制航天器电位。由此产生的航天器正电势的减少减少了对船上等离子体测量的干扰。应用了高达 40 μA 的离子电流，这将光电子干扰等离子体电子测量的能带降低到接近仪器检测下限的值。同时，这种方法的经验涵盖了当前太阳周期的最大值和最小值，并允许人们研究光电发射的变化和其他长期趋势及其对测量的影响。确实观察到受控航天器潜力的长期趋势。此外，如果满足某些条件，似乎可以从受控航天器重建不受控航天器的潜力。因此，航天器电势控制可以改善等离子体测量，同时仍然允许根据残余电势估计总等离子体密度。
Emitters based on the liquid metal ion source principle have been operating on the Cluster spacecraft between 2000 and 2004, in order to control the spacecraft potential. The resulting reduction of positive spacecraft potential reduces perturbations to the plasma measurements on board. Ion currents up to 40 muA have been applied, which reduced the energy band in which photoelectrons disturb the plasma electron measurements to values close to the lower detection limit of the instrument. The experience with this method, meanwhile, covers both the maximum and minimum of the present solar cycle and allows one to study the variations of photoemission and other long-term trends and their effects on the measurements. A long-term trend of the controlled spacecraft potential is indeed observed. In addition, it appears that reconstruction of the uncontrolled spacecraft potential from the controlled one is possible if certain conditions are fulfilled. Spacecraft potential control can thereby improve the plasma measurements while still allowing one to estimate the total plasma density from the residual potential.