Validation of double Langmuir probe in-orbit performance onboard a nano-satellite

Tejumola, Taiwo Raphael; Segura, Guillermo Wenceslao Zarate; Kim, Sangkyun; Khan, Arshad M.; Cho, Mengu

doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2018.01.016

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…In addition, the ratio of electron/ion flux density into their respective sheaths is the critical condition with which electron sheath can form near an electrode immersed in a plasma [7]. This makes this ratio a significant parameter in the design of asymmetric probes [10,11], satellite and spacecraft based Langmuir probes [12,13], and Langmuir probes in small devices [14][15][16]. In magnetized [17] and/or ion-neutral collisional [18] plasmas, the plasma loss to the wall is also restricted by magnetization and collisional effects, thus the 'unperturbed' electron/ion flux ratio becomes an important benchmark parameter before we can better investigate these phenomena.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct measurement of ion and electron flux ratio at their respective sheath-edges and absence of the electron Bohm criterion effects

Jin¹,

Yip²,

Zhang³

et al. 2022

Plasma Sources Sci. Technol.

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A recent theory suggest that electrons enter electron sheaths at an electron Bohm velocity given by (Te/me)1/2 instead of the electron thermal velocity as conventionally assumed. To test this theory, the flux density ratio Γe,se/Γi,se of electrons and ions entering their respective sheaths was directly measured via an almost continuous Ai/Ae area ratio scanning. The measured value agrees with the predictions assuming electrons entering the electron sheaths at their thermal velocity. The predictions associated with the electron Bohm criterion has not been found. If the predictions of such theories are true, the electron or ion presheath density drops will be very different from conventionally expected values.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct measurement of ion and electron flux ratio at their respective sheath-edges and absence of the electron Bohm criterion effects

Jin¹,

Yip²,

Zhang³

et al. 2022

Plasma Sources Sci. Technol.

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“…Fang et al conducted simulations of micro/nanosatellites carrying a Langmuir probe in N 2 plasma in the laboratory and concluded that when A L /A S < 100, Langmuir probe could not reliably obtain plasma parameters and should be replaced by a resonance probe for parameter measurements [29]. On the other hand, Tejumola et al used a double Langmuir probe to replace the single Langmuir probes on micro/nanosatellites [30,31]. In addition, Bekkeng et al found that events such as meteorite falls could cause the spacecraft to be charged, and they suggested adding instruments to detect the surface potential of the spacecraft [32].…”

Section: Experimental Studies On the Area Limitation Of The Langmuir ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Presheath formation and area design limit satellite-based Langmuir probes

Jin

Yip

Sun

et al. 2023

Plasma Sci. Technol.

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In this article, the effect of finite conductive surface area of a satellite on the use of satellite-based Langmuir probes is reviewed in light of the basic theory of asymmetric double Langmuir probes (ADLPs). Recent theoretical and experimental works have discussed electron sheath/presheath formation and the electron Bohm criterion along with their implications on the satellite-based Langmuir probes. The effects predicted by the latest theory of electron Bohm criterion were not experimentally observed and the experimental result remains supportive of a critical area ratio (AL/AS)crit = (mi/(2.3me))1/2 between the probe area AS and the satellite area AL as conventionally believed. A satellite-based Langmuir probe must satisfy this criterion to physically act as a single Langmuir probe. However, experimental investigations also found that high-energy electrons adversely affect (AL/AS)crit and a Langmuir probe’s signal quality by giving additional electron current to AL. With these results, a series of limitations of maximum probe area are derived when designing satellite-based Langmuir probes, with consideration of both mission what the satellite aims and plasma where the satellite-based probe works. This series of proposed measures is expected to only partially alleviate the effect of the inadequate satellite surface area on the application of satellite-based Langmuir probes. Using a larger satellite to carry a Langmuir probe remains the most viable means to obtain precise space plasma parameters.

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“…where λ a are Lagrange multipliers and a 0 is the number of constraint conditions. Differentiating equation (7) with respect to each of these unknown parameters and equating the resulting expressions to zero yields the system…”

Section: Image Reconstructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Diverse diagnostic techniques have been developed to measure these two parameters. The Langmuir probe is a widely used diagnostic tool for evaluating these plasma properties and is characterized by constructional and operational simplicity [7][8][9]. Kelly used a Langmuir probe to measure T e and n e profiles at several spatial positions along the centerline at z = 250-1000 mm and a radial position of 560 mm with an argon (Ar) mass flow of 0.2-0.5 g s −1 and discharge currents of 750-2000 A [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-spatial-resolution image reconstruction-based method for measuring electron temperature and density of the very near field of an applied-field magnetoplasmadynamic thruster

Han¹,

Zhang²,

Chen³

et al. 2021

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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A method based on image reconstruction is proposed for measuring the electron temperature ( T e ) and density ( n e ) distribution of the axisymmetric low-temperature argon plasma plume of applied-field magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters (AF-MPDTs). The method uses a complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor camera with narrowband filters of 460 and 500 nm to obtain the raw projection images in specific wavelength ranges. An image reconstruction method is developed to construct relative emission intensity profiles. The electron temperature distribution can be obtained by combining the relative emission intensity ratio of two profiles with a simple argon kinetic model. The electron density distribution can be calculated by constructing a function of relative emission intensity containing T e and n e . To verify the feasibility of this method, we diagnosed a very near field plume of a 15 kW AF-MPDT and obtained the distribution of parameters with a spatial resolution of 0.23 mm. The results show that the maximum T e and n e are located on the centerline near the exit plane of the thruster and decrease with both radial and axial distances. The second peak appears in the radial direction of both the T e and n e distributions, while their zones do not overlap. A comparative analysis of measurement results obtained by this method and the Langmuir probe method is performed to prove its accuracy. Moreover, this measurement method has the advantages of high spatial resolution and the ability to diagnose high-density and magnetized plasma. This method can be also applied to other optically thin axisymmetric low-temperature argon plasmas.

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Validation of double Langmuir probe in-orbit performance onboard a nano-satellite

Cited by 7 publications

References 8 publications

Direct measurement of ion and electron flux ratio at their respective sheath-edges and absence of the electron Bohm criterion effects

Direct measurement of ion and electron flux ratio at their respective sheath-edges and absence of the electron Bohm criterion effects

Presheath formation and area design limit satellite-based Langmuir probes

High-spatial-resolution image reconstruction-based method for measuring electron temperature and density of the very near field of an applied-field magnetoplasmadynamic thruster

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