Herrero F, Nicholas A, Finne T, Jones H, Aalami D. The small-deflection energy analyzer (SDEA): Enabling multi-point investigations in the thermosphere-ionosphere.
THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2020;
91:095105. [PMID:
33003772 DOI:
10.1063/5.0001903]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The Small-Deflection Energy Analyzer (SDEA), a new type of parallel plate analyzer of high sensitivity and resolution, enables CubeSat applications for new ionosphere-thermosphere investigations. SDEA's data of angle-energy distributions yield the thermosphere-ionosphere parameters of neutral wind and ion-drift vectors with corresponding temperatures and densities. Less than 4 cm in total length and 2 cm on the side, SDEA is used in the wind-temperature and ion-drift temperature spectrometers pair to provide two of the three instrument functions in the Wind-Ion-Neutral-Composition Suite now operating in three satellites in a low-Earth orbit. The small-deflection feature of SDEA allows miniaturization with several advantages discussed within. A description of SDEA is followed by examples of laboratory and a limited amount of flight data taken in low-Earth-orbit to demonstrate precision possible with SDEA. Strengths and weaknesses are discussed.
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