High-spatial-resolution electron density measurement by Langmuir probe for multi-point observations using tiny spacecraft

Hoang, Huy Minh; Røed, K.; Bekkeng, T. A.; Trøndsen, Espen; Clausen, L. B. N.; Miloch, W. J.; Moen, J.

doi:10.1088/1361-6501/aa87e1

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…1, where three operational regions of electron saturation, electron retardation, and ion saturation are separated by the plasma potential (V p ) and the floating potential (V f ). (19) Note that the magnitude of the ion current is exaggerated for illustration purposes.…”

Section: Langmuir Probe Diagnostic Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To achieve high-spatialresolution measurement to detect the fine structure of the plasma, the sampling frequency must be increased. (19) Using an A/D conversion module with a built-in MCU can simplify the design to achieve a sampling frequency ( f samp ) of 10 kSPS. From f samp and the satellite speed (V sat ), the spatial resolution (R spa ) can be obtained from Eq.…”

Section: Overall System Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nonlinear Micro-current Acquisition Device Applied to Onboard Langmuir Probe Instrument

Wang¹,

Zhang²,

Du³

et al. 2021

Sensors and Materials

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An onboard Langmuir probe instrument equipped with a nonlinear micro-current acquisition device has been developed and is described in this paper. Langmuir probes are commonly used sensors for ionospheric plasma diagnosis, but the plasma density varies significantly with the altitude, latitude, and day/night; therefore, the currents collected by Langmuir probes have an extensive dynamic range and tiny amplitude. We developed a novel Langmuir probe instrument with a nonlinear micro-current acquisition device that can acquire micro-current signals with high precision and has an extended dynamic range. The instrument has a low mass (about 950 g), a power consumption of about 700 mW, and meets the payload requirements of micro-nano satellites. The instrument is equipped with high-speed analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) and a third-order low-pass filter to respectively achieve submeter spatial resolution and signal-tonoise ratio (SNR) measurement of higher than 120 dB. A data inversion algorithm based on polynomial fitting is used to accurately trace back the collected current signals to achieve highprecision diagnosis of plasma in the density range from 10 8 to 10 13 m −3 . The instrument has multiprobe acquisition capability, can run in two modes, and is suitable for different detection platforms. Various experiments were carried out in the Space Plasma Simulation Chamber to evaluate the performance of the instrument. The results demonstrate that the developed Langmuir probe instrument can accurately diagnose plasma in a large density range and meet the requirements for ionospheric plasma diagnosis.

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Section: Langmuir Probe Diagnostic Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Overall System Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonlinear Micro-current Acquisition Device Applied to Onboard Langmuir Probe Instrument

Wang¹,

Zhang²,

Du³

et al. 2021

Sensors and Materials

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“…More details of the electron emitter development can be found in . Test results of the electron emitter have been obtained, showing that with a limited power consumption of 100 mW, emitted beam currents could reach up to 54 µA for the accelerating voltage of 38 V on the QB50 satellites (Hoang et al, 2017). Electrons emerge from the electron emitter with a kinetic energy of 38 eV, which corresponds to about 3600 km/s with respect to the satellite.…”

Section: Miniaturized Thermionic Electron Emitter (Mtee)mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Multi-needle Langmuir Probe Instrument for QB50 Mission: Case Studies of Ex-Alta 1 and Hoopoe Satellites

et al. 2019

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The QB50 mission is a satellite constellation designed to carry out measurements at between 200 -380 km altitude in the ionosphere. The multi-needle Langmuir probe (m-NLP) instrument has been mounted on board eleven QB50 satellites in order to characterize ambient plasma. The distinct feature of this instrument is its capability of measuring the plasma density at high spatial resolution without the need to know the electron temperature or the spacecraft potential. While the instrument has been deployed on many sounding rockets, the QB50 satellites offer the opportunity to demonstrate the operation of the instrument in low-earth orbit (LEO). This paper provides a brief review of the m-NLP instrument specifically designed for the QB50 mission and the case studies of the instrument's performance on board the Ex-Alta 1 and Hoopoe satellites. The system has also been functionally verified in a plasma chamber at the European Space Research and Technology Center (ES-TEC). Although the QB50 mission's scientific goals have not been reached yet and some uncertainties still remain, there are some optimistic in-orbit preliminary results which could be helpful for the system improvement in future campaigns. Particularly, the electron emitter as part of the m-NLP science unit has demonstrated its capability in the plasma chamber and in orbit to mitigate spacecraft charging effects.

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“…However, the probes are cleaned by solar heating and ion sputtering over its mission in orbit. Furthermore, the work in Hoang et al (2017) showed that the m-NLP probes are barely affected by contamination due to water vapor impurities in space. To ensure a good measurement performance against likely impacts of contamination, in-flight probe performance validation by sweeping probe biases is regularly executed.…”

Section: Probe and Boom System Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More details of the electron emitter development can be found in Bekkeng et al (2017). Test results of the electron emitter have been obtained, showing that with a limited power consumption of 100 mW, emitted beam currents could reach up to 54 µA for the accelerating voltage of 38 V on the QB50 satellites (Hoang et al 2017). Electrons emerge from the electron emitter with a kinetic energy of 38 eV, which corresponds to about 3600 km/s with respect to the satellite.…”

Section: Miniaturized Thermionic Electron Emitter (Mtee)mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Multi-Needle Langmuir Probe System on Board NorSat-1

et al. 2018

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This work has been carried out during the period from March 2015 to June 2018 as a part of the 4DSpace Strategic Research Initiative at the University of Oslo. During that period, I have been lucky to work with many passionate and talented people. Just some lines to express my gratefulness to important ones who inuenced me the most. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my main supervisor Ketil Røed for all things he has done for me. Thank you for your all the valuable insight, discussions and support. I would like to thank my co-supervisor Philipp D. Häige for introducing me to the research group as well as valuable discussions on ASIC development of our current measurement electronics. I would also like to thank Tore André Bekkeng and Arne Pedersen, who both have guided me into the world of space instrumentation. Many thanks to Lasse B. N. Clausen, Jøran I. Moen, Wojciech J. Miloch and Andres Spicher for fruitful discussions and also support throughout last three and half years. Jøran, thank you for your eort in obtaining the nancial support for this work. Special thanks also to Lasse and Jøran for your guidance in the thesis writing process. Espen Trondsen and Bjørn Lybekk, your help and assistance have been greatly appreciated. Further thanks to Halvor Strøm, David M. Bang-Hauge, Erlend Bårdsen and Stein S. Nielsen at ELAB for the support of PCB production and for sharing your practical experiences in electronics. I have also been fortunate to study and work with many brilliant students in the 4DSpace group and the electronics group of the Department of Physics. Finally, I am very grateful for all the unconditional support and encouragement I have received from family during the PhD studies. I would also like to acknowledge the Norwegian Research Council, ESA PRODEX programme, Nano Network, Norwegian Space Center for nancial support of projects and test campaigns I have been involved in.

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High-spatial-resolution electron density measurement by Langmuir probe for multi-point observations using tiny spacecraft

Cited by 7 publications

References 29 publications

Nonlinear Micro-current Acquisition Device Applied to Onboard Langmuir Probe Instrument

Nonlinear Micro-current Acquisition Device Applied to Onboard Langmuir Probe Instrument

The Multi-needle Langmuir Probe Instrument for QB50 Mission: Case Studies of Ex-Alta 1 and Hoopoe Satellites

The Multi-Needle Langmuir Probe System on Board NorSat-1

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