Flux-Pinned Dynamics Model Parameterization and Sensitivity Study

Abstract

Flux-pinned interfaces maintain a passively stable equilibrium between two spacecraft in close proximity. Although flux-pinning physics has been studied from a materials science perspective and at the system level, the sensitivities and implications of system-level designs on the dynamics need to be better understood, especially in interfaces with multiple magnets and superconductors. These interfaces have highly nonlinear coupled dynamics that are influenced by physical parameters, including strength of magnetic-field sources, field-cooled position, and superconductor geometry. Kordyuk’s frozen-image model (“Magnetic Levitation for Hard Superconductors,” Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 83, No. 1, Jan. 1998, pp. 610–612) successfully approximates the characteristics of flux-pinning dynamics, but could provide a more precise state prediction with the addition of these physical parameter refinements. This paper addresses that gap by offering parametric terms to improve the dynamics model, which may better simulate the behavior of a multiple-magnet-and-multiple-superconductor interface. The sensitivity of the general flux-pinned dynamics model is studied by varying the physical parameters and simulating the system-level dynamics. This work represents a critical step in the development of a model suited to spacecraft performance verification.