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Title: Spacecraft charging potential during electron-beam injections into space plasmas

Abstract

Injections of nonrelativistic electron beams from an infinite conductor have been simulated by using a two-dimensional electrostatic particle code to study the spacecraft charging potential. The simulations show that the conductor charging potential at the end of simulations does not vary with the beam density when the beam density exceeds four times the ambient density. The reflection coefficient, which determines a percentage of incident electrons reflected by the conductor, increases the charging potential. To charge the conductor to the beam energy, the reflection coefficient needs to be about 0.5. The results are applied to explain the spacecraft charging potential measure during the SEPAC experiments from Spacelab 1.

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Dept. of Space Sciences, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX (US)
OSTI Identifier:
6006401
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.; (United States)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 17:2
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; PLASMA SIMULATION; ELECTRON BEAM INJECTION; ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS; ELECTROSTATIC PROBES; EXPERIMENTAL DATA; SPACE CHARGE; SPACE VEHICLES; BEAM INJECTION; DATA; INFORMATION; NUMERICAL DATA; PROBES; SIMULATION; VEHICLES; 700208* - Fusion Power Plant Technology- Inertial Confinement Technology

Citation Formats

Lin, C S. Spacecraft charging potential during electron-beam injections into space plasmas. United States: N. p., 1989. Web. doi:10.1109/27.24626.
Lin, C S. Spacecraft charging potential during electron-beam injections into space plasmas. United States. https://doi.org/10.1109/27.24626
Lin, C S. 1989. "Spacecraft charging potential during electron-beam injections into space plasmas". United States. https://doi.org/10.1109/27.24626.
@article{osti_6006401,
title = {Spacecraft charging potential during electron-beam injections into space plasmas},
author = {Lin, C S},
abstractNote = {Injections of nonrelativistic electron beams from an infinite conductor have been simulated by using a two-dimensional electrostatic particle code to study the spacecraft charging potential. The simulations show that the conductor charging potential at the end of simulations does not vary with the beam density when the beam density exceeds four times the ambient density. The reflection coefficient, which determines a percentage of incident electrons reflected by the conductor, increases the charging potential. To charge the conductor to the beam energy, the reflection coefficient needs to be about 0.5. The results are applied to explain the spacecraft charging potential measure during the SEPAC experiments from Spacelab 1.},
doi = {10.1109/27.24626},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6006401}, journal = {IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.; (United States)},
number = ,
volume = 17:2,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1989},
month = {Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1989}
}