Dust detection in space using the monopole and dipole electric field antennas

During the grand finale of the Cassini mission, the Radio and Plasma Wave Science instrument will be used to assess the risk involved in exposing the instruments to the dusty environment around the F and D rings. More specifically, the slope of the size distribution and the dust density will be dete...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of geophysical research. Space physics 2016-12, Vol.121 (12), p.11,964-11,972
Main Authors: Ye, S.‐Y., Kurth, W. S., Hospodarsky, G. B., Averkamp, T. F., Gurnett, D. A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antennas
Cassini mission
Data interpretation
Dipole antennas
Dipoles
Dust
dust impact
Ecological risk assessment
electric antenna
Electric fields
Monopoles
Plasma waves
Risk assessment
Size distribution
Slopes
Spacecraft
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Summary:During the grand finale of the Cassini mission, the Radio and Plasma Wave Science instrument will be used to assess the risk involved in exposing the instruments to the dusty environment around the F and D rings. More specifically, the slope of the size distribution and the dust density will be determined based on the signals induced on the electric antennas by dust impacts. To reduce the uncertainties in the generation mechanism of the dust impact signals and the resulting dust properties based on the interpretation of data, we designed and carried out experiments in late 2015, when we switched antenna mode from monopole to dipole at the ring plane crossings. Comparison of the data collected with these two antenna setups provides valuable hints on how the dust impact signals are generated in each antenna mode. Key Points Electric field antennas can be used to detect dust impacts on spacecraft The sensitivity of a dipole antenna to an impact on an antenna is similar to that of a monopole antenna to an impact on the spacecraft For Cassini/RPWS, dipole mode primarily detects impacts on the antenna elements
ISSN:2169-9380
2169-9402
DOI:10.1002/2016JA023266