Feasibility study on the in-situ measurements of the velocity distribution function of thermal ions in the polar ionosphere
It has been proposed that in-situ measurements of the velocity distribution functions of thermal ions in the polar ionosphere give various information of the ionospheric plasma such as the plasma drift velocities, ion temperatures, ion number densities, and existence of ion beam in the suprathermal...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Report |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Radio Research Laboratories
1985
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_uri&item_id=1763 http://id.nii.ac.jp/1291/00001763/ https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=1763&item_no=1&attribute_id=18&file_no=1 |
| Summary: | It has been proposed that in-situ measurements of the velocity distribution functions of thermal ions in the polar ionosphere give various information of the ionospheric plasma such as the plasma drift velocities, ion temperatures, ion number densities, and existence of ion beam in the suprathermal energy region. Several works have reported the promising results of the ion distribution function measurements in the auroral ionosphere by using the electrostatic energy analyzers onboard sounding rockets. Basic considerations on this method of measurements are reviewed with discussions about the effects of the rocket potential and wake. A preliminary test is carried out in the laboratory plasma to demonstrate the capability of this technique. Finally, an instrumentation is proposed for a sounding rocket experiment at the antarctic station. |
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