Improving our view of the low energy neutral particle populations, initial results.

Details Improving our view of the low energy neutral particle populations, initial results. Improving our view of the low energy neutral particle populations, initial results.

May 2006

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006agusmsm41a..01s&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2007, abstract #SM41A-01

Physics

Plasma Physics

7800 Space Plasma Physics, 7835 Magnetic Reconnection (2723, 7526), 7837 Neutral Particles (2151)

Scientific paper

Over the past decade the energetic neutral atom (ENA) imaging of plasma structures in space have led to new unanticipated discoveries. Examples of neutral imagers are instruments on the IMAGE, Ulysess and Cassini, spacecraft. Because neutral atom fluxes are often of low intensity, detector efficiency is a high priority as we attempt to extend future observations to more distant and dimmer objects. It is especially difficult to increase detector efficiency for atoms in the energy range from 0.01 to 1.5 keV, designated as low-energetic-neutral- atoms (LENA). This energy range covers such physical phenomena as the neutral solar wind, the local interstellar medium, and ion outflows in planetary magnetospheres. Typically, neutral atoms in this energy range are converted in the imager to negative ions through collisions with a surface. To date the conversion efficiencies that have been realized for flight instruments are well short of 1% so that reasonable temporal and spatial resolution can only be attained with relatively large and heavy instrument. Composite materials with surface properties that can be adjusted for maximum conversion efficiency and resistance to contamination are being developed along with micro-machining techniques to optimize the geometry of the surface and increase the effective aperture. Using standard silicon processing techniques and facilities we can machine slits in a silicon wafer to yield an active conversion area for a 1 degree incident beam of neutrals of 62.2 cm2 in a volume of 0.2 cm3 as compared to a volume of 456 cm3 for a standard flat surface. Preliminary results of the conversion efficiency using silicon and alkali metal atom intercalated graphite will be presented.

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