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Ann. Geophys., 21, 915-922, 2003
www.ann-geophys.net/21/915/2003/
© European Geosciences Union 2003
Spacecraft potential during an active experiment: a comparison of experimental results with a simple model
P. Žilavý, L. Přech, Z. Nĕmeček, and J. Šafránková
Charles University, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, V Holesovickach 2, 180 00 Praha 8, Czech Republic
Abstract. The Active Plasma
Experiment (APEX) used intensive electron beam and/or a release of the
low-energy Xenon plasma to study dynamic processes in the magnetosphere and
upper ionosphere. It was shown by Prech et al. (1999) that the release of the
Xe plasma increases the spacecraft potential when the ambient plasma density is
low, but decreases it when the density is high enough. In the present paper, a
simple computer model of the dust particle charging has been adapted for a
calculation of the potential difference between a planar probe and a spherical
satellite moving in the ionospheric plasma. The influence of a quasineutral
plasma emission on the measured spacecraft potential difference is discussed
and the calculated results are compared with experimental data from the APEX
project.
Key words. Ionosphere (active
experiments)
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