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The 3-D Plasma Distribution Function Analyzers With Time-of-Flight Mass Discrimination for Cluster, FAST, and Equator-S
Balsiger, H.; Klecker, B.; Kistler, L. M. +39 more
A similar time-of-flight plasma analyzer system will be flown as CODIF (COmposition and DIstribution Function analyzer) on the four Cluster spacecraft, as ESIC (Equator-S Ion Composition instrument) on Equator-S, and as TEAMS (Time-of-flight Energy Angle Mass Spectrograph) on FAST. These instruments will for the first time allow the 3-dimensional …
UV Rejection Design and Performance of the PEACE Electrostatic Analyzers
Alsop, C.; Scott, S.; Free, L.
The Plasma Electron and Current Experiment, PEACE, electrostatic analyzers are designed to measure electrons from 0.6 eV to 26,400 eV and will be directly exposed to sunlight in their operational environment. To minimize solar background counts, generated by direct interaction of the solar UV with the microchannel plate detectors or by the generat…
The Electron Drift Technique for Measuring Electric and Magnetic Fields
Torbert, R. B.; Quinn, J. M.; Paschmann, G. +2 more
The electron drift technique is based on sensing the drift of a weak beam of test electrons that is caused by electric fields and/or gradients in the magnetic field. These quantities can, by use of different electron energies, in principle be determined separately. Depending on the ratio of drift speed to magnetic field strength, the drift velocit…
Electron Gyro Time Measurement Technique for Determining Electric and Magnetic Fields
Paschmann, G.; Vaith, H.; Frenzel, R. +1 more
The paper describes the technique the Electron Drift Instrument (EDI) on CLUSTER employs to measure the flight times of the electrons between the time they are emitted and the time they return after having completed a gyration in the ambient magnetic field. In the presence of an electric field two different trajectories exist which return to the d…
Measuring Magnetic Field Gradients From Four Point Vector Measurements in Space
Khurana, Krishan K.; Kivelson, Margaret G.; Kepko, Larry
The determination of all nine first order spatial gradients requires the knowledge of differences between the magnetic field measurements made simultaneously at (at least) four different points in space. As the first order differences between measurements are typically very small compared to the background field, even small errors resulting from a…
The Use of Numerical Simulation in the Design of the Cluster/PEACE "Top Hat" Analyzer Electron Optics
Johnstone, A. D.; Woodliffe, R. D.
The four-spacecraft Cluster mission was to be the first to attempt to measure space plasma gradients in three dimensions. The required accuracy of these gradient measurements poses a unique challenge to the accuracy with which the individual measurements must be carried out. In designing the electron analyzers of the PEACE(Plasma Electron And Curr…
Measurement of 0-25 eV Ions With a Retarding Potential Analyzer on the Cluster Ion Spectroscopy Experiment
McCarthy, M. P.; McFadden, J. P.
We describe a retarding potential analyzer (RPA) which extends the energy range of the Cluster ion spectroscopy (CIS) experiment down to 0-25 eV [Rème et al., 1993]. The CIS experiment will make comprehensive measurements of 3D ion distribution functions from 0-40 keV over the broad range of plasma regions the Cluster orbit will traverse. Mass com…
Fast and Accurate Inflight Calculations of Electron Space Plasma Parameters
Fazakerley, A. N.; Carter, P. J.; Gowen, R. A. +2 more
Satellite and rocket borne experiments impose unique requirements on the systems that control them. High input data rates from sensors have to be coupled to a limited spacecraft telemetry resource. A suite of algorithms designed to ensure the most effective possible use of the telemetry allocation for an instrument studying space plasma electrons …