Monitoring of the Spacecraft Potential in the Magetosphere With a Double Probe Instrument

Details Monitoring of the Spacecraft Potential in the Magetosphere With a Double Probe Instrument Monitoring of the Spacecraft Potential in the Magetosphere With a Double Probe Instrument

Nov 1998

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1998sct..conf..291l&link_type=abstract

Proceedings of the 6th Spacecraft Charging Conference. November 2-6, 1998. AFRL Science Center, Hanscom AFB, MA, USA., p.291-296

Physics

Scientific paper

Measurements of the double probe instrument can be used for monitoring the variation of the spacecraft potential Vs in tenuous plasmas where the satellite usually floats at a positive potential. This study deals with the Vs variation of the Polar satellite in the magnetosphere, using three and half years of data in 1996-99. The observations are binned with the Kp index in order to investigate how the level of geomagnetic activity affects the average surface potential. Two different antenna baselines are used, 6 and 60 meters, which both can be used for monitoring the spacecraft potential. In a low-density environment, however, the short antenna measurements are more influenced by the charging sheath of the satellite, but the data are nevertheless qualitatively useful. In burst mode the sampling rate of the double probe experiment is 1-8 kHz, and then very fast spacecraft potential variations can be monitored. Typically Vs varies between 0 and 50 volts so that in the plasmasphere it is 0-1 volt, at the plasmapause it exhibits a steep increase by 3-5 volts, and outside the plasmasphere Vs is more than 5 volts. Highest Vs's occur in the high-altitude (> 4 RE) polar cap, where Vs is usually between 20 and 30 volts, and on auroral field lines where it frequently lies in the 30-50 volts range and occasionally above 50 volts.

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