A new method of inferring the size, number density, and charge of mesospheric dust from its in situ collection by the DUSTY probe

• Published in: Atmospheric measurement techniques 2019-03, Vol.12 (3), p.1673-1683
• Main Authors: Havnes, Ove, Antonsen, Tarjei, Baumgarten, Gerd, Hartquist, Thomas W, Biebricher, Alexander, Fredriksen, Ashild, Friedrich, Martin, Hedin, Jonas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aerosol particles; Analysis; Astrofysikk, astronomi: 438; Astrophysics, astronomy: 438; Atmospheric composition; Atmospheric particulates; Charge density; Charged particles; Charging; Data processing; Density; Dust; Dust particles; Dust storms; Earth; Electronics; Environmental aspects; Fysikk: 430; Instruments; Lidar; Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400; Mathematical models; Mathematics and natural science: 400; Measurement; Mesosphere; Methods; Middle atmosphere; Optical radar; Parameters; Photometers; Physics: 430; Plasma density; Plasma physics; Plasma probes; Probes; Remote sensing; Resolution; Sensors; VDP
• ISSN: 1867-8548; 1867-1381; 1867-8548
• DOI: 10.5194/amt-12-1673-2019

We present a new method of analyzing measurements of mesospheric dust made with DUSTY rocket-borne Faraday cup probes. It can yield the variation in fundamental dust parameters through a mesospheric cloud with an altitude resolution down to 10 cm or less if plasma probes give the plasma density variations with similar height resolution. A DUSTY probe was the first probe that unambiguously detected charged dust and aerosol particles in the Earth's mesosphere. DUSTY excluded the ambient plasma by various biased grids, which however allowed dust particles with radii above a few nanometers to enter, and it measured the flux of charged dust particles. The flux measurements directly yielded the total ambient dust charge density.