Vehicle potential measurements during electron emission in the ionosphere

Technical Report · Fri Mar 01 04:00:00 UTC 1991

OSTI ID:7275661

Myers, N B

CHARGE-2 was a sounding rocket experiment to study the interaction of an electron beam with the environment. Additionally, experiments on the interaction of a vehicle at high potential (up to 1 kV) with the ionosphere were performed. The payload consisted of two parts that were separated during the flight. A 1 -kV electron gun was flown on the mother vehicle along with numerous diagnostic Instruments. The daughter vehicle was deployed on a conducting, insulated tether to a distance of up to 426 m perpendicular to the geomagnetic field. The high potential was obtained by electron emission from the mother vehicle, and by voltage biasing of the daughter vehicle. Measurements of transient vehicle potential were obtained with a sample interval of 100 ns. Measurements of the steady-state vehicle potential were typically limited to about half of the lkV accelerating potential of the electron gun. The daughter vehicle collected current consistent with magnetically limited models of current collection.

• Research Organization: Air Force Rome Lab., Griffiss AFB, NY (United States)
• OSTI ID: 7275661
• Report Number(s): AD-A-251403/2/XAB; RL-TR--91-44
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

661320* -- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magnetospheric Phenomena-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BEAM INJECTION
BEAM-PLASMA SYSTEMS
BEAMS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
ELECTRON BEAM INJECTION
ELECTRON BEAMS
ELECTRON EMISSION
ELECTRON GUNS
EMISSION
INTERACTIONS
IONOSPHERE
LEPTON BEAMS
PARTICLE BEAMS
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
ROCKETS
SPACE CHARGE
SPACE VEHICLES
TRANSIENTS
VEHICLES