Cassini between Earth and asteroid belt: first in-situ charge measurements of interplanetary grains

Kempf, S.; Srama, R.; Altobelli, Nicolás; Auer, S.; Tschernjawski, V.; Bradley, James G.; Burton, M. E.; Helfert, S.; Johnson, T. V.; Krüger, Harald; Moragas-Klostermeyer, G.; Grün, E.

doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2004.05.017

Cited by 55 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Such a surface potential is compatible with direct measurements of interplanetary dust charges with the Cassini dust detector (Kempf et al 2004). The outwardly streaming solar wind carries a magnetic field away from the Sun, causing the Lorentz force on the charged particle.…”

Section: Lorentz Forcessupporting

confidence: 69%

The filtering of interstellar dust in the solar system

Sterken

Altobelli

Kempf

et al. 2013

A&A

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Context. Theoretical predictions demonstrate that small (<0.1 µm) interstellar grains are mostly excluded from reaching the planetary system by electromagnetic interactions in the heliopause region and in the inner heliosphere. Bigger interstellar grains have been recorded in the planetary system by dust measurements on board Ulysses and other spacecraft. It was found that the interstellar dust flux is modulated by the interplanetary magnetic field. Aims. The objective of this study is to analyze the heliospheric filtering of the interstellar dust flow through the solar system and throughout the solar cycle. In the heliosphere the dynamics of interstellar dust is governed by the gravitational pull of the Sun, by the repulsion of solar radiation, and by the deflection caused by the interaction of the charged interstellar dust (ISD) grains with the interplanetary magnetic field. These interactions are described by the parameters of the radiation pressure constant β and the charge-to-mass ratio Q/m, which depend on the particle's size, physical properties, and composition. A previous paper studied the flow characteristics of ISD moving through the solar system were studied. In this follow-up paper, we focus on how the ISD size distribution varies during its passage through the solar system. Methods. In a parametric study of 70 different β and Q/m values, we calculated interstellar dust trajectories starting at the boundary of the heliosphere with starting times spread over a complete solar cycle of 22 years. Results. As a result we obtained the interstellar dust flux and dust speed for these times and positions and demonstrate the effects of the filtering on the dust size distributions. The size distribution of ISD observed at any time and at any position in the planetary system is strongly modified from when it entered the heliosphere. Peaks in relative flux of 10 times the original flux possibly depend on the grain size and place and time in the solar system. We did a detailed study of three cases of the flux and size distribution of interstellar grains reaching the planets Saturn, Jupiter, and the main-belt asteroid Ceres. These cases are used to get a first idea of what a dust detector or collector on a mission to these bodies might see of ISD.

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Section: Lorentz Forcessupporting

confidence: 69%

The filtering of interstellar dust in the solar system

Sterken

Altobelli

Kempf

et al. 2013

A&A

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“…In-situ measurement of dust surface charges in the interplanetary medium were firstly achieved also with CDA (Kempf et al 2004). The dust passes a system of entrance grids while entering CDA and thereby induces a charge signal.…”

Section: Dust Instruments On Deep Space Spacecraftmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dusty Plasma Effects in Near Earth Space and Interplanetary Medium

et al. 2011

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Dusty plasma effects in near earth space and interplanetary mediumSpace Science Reviews, 2011, Vol. 161, Issue 1-4: 1-47 10.1007/s11214-011-9762-3Access to the published version may require subscription. Published with permission from:Springer Science+Business Media B.V.Space Science Reviews manuscript No. (will be inserted by the editor) Dusty plasma effects in near Earth space and interplanetary mediumReceived: date / Accepted: date Abstract We review dust and meteoroid fluxes and their dusty plasma effects in the interplanetary medium near Earth orbit and in the Earth's ionosphere. Aside from in-situ measurements from sounding rockets and spacecraft, experimental data cover radar and optical observations of meteors. Dust plasma interactions in the interplanetary medium are observed by the detection of charged dust particles, by the detection of dust that is accelerated in the solar wind and by the detection of ions and neutrals that are released from the dust. These interactions are not well understood and lack quantitative description. There is still a huge discrepancy in the estimates of meteoroid mass deposition into the atmosphere. The radar meteor observations are of particular interest for determining this number. Dust measurements from spacecraft require a better understanding of the dust impact ionization process, as well as of the dust charging processes. The latter are also important for further studying nano dust trajectories in the solar wind. Moreover understanding of the complex dependencies that cause the variation of nano dust fluxes is still a challenge.

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“…2). This was the first unambiguous detection of electrostatic charges carried by dust particles in interplanetary space and a detailed description can be find in Kempf et al, 2004. The detector geometry with two inclined charge sensing grids allows an accurate determination of the particle speed, electrostatic charge, mass, and directionality.…”

Section: Electrostatic Charges Of Interplanetary Dust Particlesmentioning

confidence: 99%