Electric field measurements during supercharging events on the MAIMIK rocket experiment

Journal Article · Fri Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/90JA02103· OSTI ID:5376127

Denig, W F; Maynard, N C; Burke, W J ^[1]; Maehlum, B N ^[2]

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1. Air Force Geophysics Lab., Hanscom AFB, MA (USA)
2. Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, Kjeller (Norway)

The authors on the observation and analysis of quasi-DC electric fields measured during active electron emission from the MAIMIK sounding rocket. The MAIMIK mother-daughter tethered rocket comsisted of two separately instrumented payload sections which were detached in-flight. The daughter payload included a variable current, 8-keV electron accelerator and instrumentation to measure the vehicle potential relative to the ionosphere plasma. The electric field detector was part of the quiescent mother payload which separated from the daughter at a constant speed. Of particular interest to the present study were the observations of impulsive electric fields measured at the initiation of the beam for emission currents which drove the daughter payload into an overcharged state. At locations well removed from the active payload the electric field signature consisted of a 1- to 2-ms, monopolar impulse field that had a rapid risetime and a more gradual decay. The components of the vector field were examined using a cylindrical coordinate system that placed the active payload at the origin and fixed the azimuthal injection angle of the beam. In general, the radial components of the field were directed out from the positively charged central body and presumed to be electrostatic origin. The tangential components had consistent positive deflections indicating that these field components were mostly electromagnetic in nature. They suggest that the measured impulse fields were due to a shielded ion blast wave propagating away from the highly charged central body with azimuthal asymmetries created by the distribution of space charge associated with a virtual cathode and escaping beam electrons. The time-varying electrostatic fields drove transient Hall currents that were carried by cold electrons E {times} B drifting near the head of the blast wave.

• OSTI ID: 5376127
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 96:A3; ISSN 0148-0227; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BEAM INJECTION
BEAM-PLASMA SYSTEMS
BEAMS
CHARGE COLLECTION
DATA ANALYSIS
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
ELECTRON BEAMS
ELECTRON EMISSION
EMISSION
IONIZATION
IONOSPHERE
LEPTON BEAMS
PARTICLE BEAMS
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
PLASMA DENSITY
ROCKETS
SPACE CHARGE
WAVE PROPAGATION