Magnetospheric imaging with low-energy neutral atoms
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
Global imaging of the magnetospheric charged particle population can be achieved by remote measurement of the neutron atoms produced when magnetospheric ions undergo charge exchange with cold exospheric neutral atoms. Previously suggested energetic neutral atom imagers were only able to measure neutral atoms with energies typically greater than several tens of keV. A laboratory prototype has been built and tested for a different type of space plasma neutral imaging instrument, which allows neutral atoms to be imaged down to < 1 keV. Such low-energy measurements provide greater sensitivity for imaging the terrestrial magnetosphere and allow the bulk of the magnetospheric ion distribution, typically centered below 10 keV, to be observed rather than just the high-energy tail of the distribution. The low-energy neutral atom measurements are made possible by utilizing charge state modifications that occur when an initially neutral atom passes through an ultrathin carbon foil. The technique described in this paper provides a method for imaging charge exchange neutrals from the terrestrial magnetosphere and would also have applications for similar imaging in other planetary or cometary environs. The Inner Magnetosphere Imaging Mission, which the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is presently considering, would provide a nearly ideal platform for low-energy neutral atom imaging, and such measurements would substantially enhance the scientific yield of this mission.
- OSTI ID:
- 5814121
- Journal Information:
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (United States), Journal Name: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (United States) Vol. 88:21; ISSN PNASA; ISSN 0027-8424
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
Ionospheric
& Magnetospheric Phenomena-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BASIC INTERACTIONS
BEAM ANALYZERS
CHARGE-EXCHANGE INTERACTIONS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ELECTROSTATIC ANALYZERS
ENERGY RANGE
ENERGY SPECTRA
EV RANGE
EXPLORER SATELLITES
IMAGES
INTERACTIONS
MAGNETIC FLUX
NASA
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NEUTRAL PARTICLES
PARTICLES
SATELLITES
SPECTRA
STRONG INTERACTIONS
US ORGANIZATIONS