Ultrathin foils used for low-energy neutral atom imaging of the terrestrial magnetosphere

Journal Article · Wed Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Optical Engineering; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1117/12.149187· OSTI ID:5410899

Funsten, H O; McComas, D J; Barraclough, B L ^[1]

---

1. Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States). Space and Atmospheric Sciences Group

Magnetospheric imaging by remote detection of low-energy neutral atoms (LENAs) that are created by charge exchange between magnetospheric plasma ions and neutral geocoronal atoms has been proposed as a method to provide global information of magnetospheric dynamics. For LENA detecting, carbon foils can be implemented to (1) ionize the LENAs and electrostatically remove them from the large background of solar UV scattered by the geocorona to which LENA detectors (e.g., microchannel plates) are sensitive and (2) generate secondary electrons to provide coincidence and/or LENA trajectory information. Quantification of LENA-foil interactions are crucial in defining LENA imager performance. The authors present equilibrium charge state distributions due to foil contamination from exposure to air. Angular scattering that results from the projectile-foil interaction is quantified and is shown to be independent of the charge state distribution.

• OSTI ID: 5410899
• Journal Information: Optical Engineering; (United States), Journal Name: Optical Engineering; (United States) Vol. 32:12; ISSN 0091-3286; ISSN OPEGAR
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

661320* -- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magnetospheric Phenomena-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ATOM COLLISIONS
COLLISIONS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
FILTERS
ION COLLISIONS
ION-ATOM COLLISIONS
OPTICAL FILTERS
RADIATIONS
REMOTE SENSING
SOLAR RADIATION
STELLAR RADIATION
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION