The STEREO IMPACT Suprathermal Electron (STE) Instrument

Abstract

The Suprathermal Electron (STE) instrument, part of the IMPACT investigation on both spacecraft of NASA’s STEREO mission, is designed to measure electrons from ∼2 to ∼100 keV. This is the primary energy range for impulsive electron/3He-rich energetic particle events that are the most frequently occurring transient particle emissions from the Sun, for the electrons that generate solar type III radio emission, for the shock accelerated electrons that produce type II radio emission, and for the superhalo electrons (whose origin is unknown) that are present in the interplanetary medium even during the quietest times. These electrons are ideal for tracing heliospheric magnetic field lines back to their source regions on the Sun and for determining field line lengths, thus probing the structure of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) and of the ambient inner heliosphere. STE utilizes arrays of small, passively cooled thin window silicon semiconductor detectors, coupled to state-of-the-art pulse-reset front-end electronics, to detect electrons down to ∼2 keV with about 2 orders of magnitude increase in sensitivity over previous sensors at energies below ∼20 keV. STE provides energy resolution of ΔE/E∼10–25% and the angular resolution of ∼20° over two oppositely directed ∼80°×80° fields of view centered on the nominal Parker spiral field direction.