Low energy stable plasma calibration facility

Area of Science:

• Space Physics
• Plasma Physics
• Instrument Calibration

Background:

• Rocket-borne charged-particle detectors require accurate calibration.
• Understanding plasma sheath formation is critical for space missions.
• Ionospheric plasma conditions present unique challenges for detector calibration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and fabricate a low energy plasma calibration facility.
• To test and calibrate rocket-borne charged-particle detectors.
• To investigate plasma sheath formation in simulated ionospheric conditions.

Main Methods:

• Modification of a cylindrical microwave resonant plasma source.
• Implementation of a stable magnetron operation method.
• Characterization of plasma parameters including density, electron temperature, and Debye length.

Main Results:

• The facility produces unmagnetized plasmas with densities from 1x10^3 to 6x10^5 /cm^3.
• Electron temperatures range from 0.1 to 1.7 eV, with plasma potentials from 0.5 to 8 V.
• A constant plasma energy density was observed due to an inverse density-temperature relationship, enabling a wide range of Debye lengths (0.3-8.4 cm).

Conclusions:

• The developed facility is suitable for calibrating space plasma instruments.
• The facility effectively simulates ionospheric plasma sheath conditions.
• The controllable plasma parameters are ideal for studying space plasma phenomena.