Modeling the response of a top hat electrostatic analyzer in an external magnetic field: Experimental validation with the Juno JADE-E sensor

G. Clark , F. Allegrini , D. J. Mccomas , P. Louarn (1)

1 IRAP - Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie

We investigate the response function of an electrostatic analyzer when electron gyroradii in a magnetic field become comparable to the scale size of the sensor. This occurs when electrons have sufficiently small energies and are in a strong magnetic field. Through simulations and laboratory experiments with the Jovian Auroral Distribution Experiment-Electron (JADE-E) sensor, we observe the energy response, detection angle distribution, and geometric factor to change significantly. Using electro-optics simulation results, we develop semiempirical and empirical relationships that can be used for top hat electrostatic analyzers. We present a model based on these relationships that covers an energy range between 0.1 keV and 5 keV with a uniform external magnetic field magnitude between 0-3 G and verified that these relationships apply to JADE-E in a specially designed testing environment by comparing with the model. We find that the model agrees well with the JADE-E sensor validating it for top hat electrostatic analyzers more generally.

Keywords: electrostatic analyzer; space physics instrumentation

Domains: Sciences of the Universe [physics]

G. Clark, F. Allegrini, D. J. Mccomas, P. Louarn. Modeling the response of a top hat electrostatic analyzer in an external magnetic field: Experimental validation with the Juno JADE-E sensor. Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 2016, 121, pp.5121-5136. ⟨10.1002/2016JA022583⟩. ⟨insu-03669487⟩