Energetic Particle Detector Research Articles

First Adiabatic Invariants and Phase Space Densities for the Jovian Electron and Proton Radiation Belts—Galileo and GIRE3 Estimates

AbstractThe fluxes and phase space densities for a fixed first adiabatic invariant for high‐energy electrons and protons provide important inputs for various scientific studies for determining the physics of particle diffusion and energization. This study provides estimates of the first adiabatic invariant and phase space density based on the complete and large data base available from the Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) on Galileo for the Jovian environment. To be specific, 10 min averages of the high‐energy electron and proton data are used to compute differential flux spectra versus energy between L = 8 and 25 over the mission. These spectra provide estimates of the differential fluxes and phase space density for constant first adiabatic invariants between 102 and 105 MeV/G. As would be expected, the electron and proton fluxes and phase space densities generally trend lower as the planet is approached. The results indicate that, whereas the overall trends for each orbit are consistent, detailed orbit to orbit variations can be observed. Galileo orbit C22 is presented as an example of deviations from the mean downward trend. To validate the Galileo results and extend the findings into L = 3, the GIRE3 model was also used to compute the fluxes and phase space densities for constant first adiabatic invariant versus L‐shell. Comparison between GIRE3 and EPD demonstrates that the model adequately reproduces the EPD data trends and they consistently show additional variations near Io. This provides proof that the GIRE3 is a useful starting point for diffusion analyses and similar studies.

A Platform-Aware Model-Driven Embedded Software Engineering Process Based on Annotated Analysis Models

In this work a platform-aware model-driven engineering process for building component-based embedded software systems using annotated analysis models is described. The process is supported by a framework, called MICOBS, that allows working with different component technologies and integrating different tools that, independently of the component technology, enable the analysis of non-functional properties based on the principles of composability and compositionality. An actor, called Framework Architect, is responsible for this integration. Three other actors take a relevant part in the analysis process. The Component Provider supplies the components, while the Component Tester is in charge of their validation. The latter also feeds MICOBS with the annotated analysis models that characterize the extra-functional properties of the components for the different platforms on which they can be deployed. The Application Architect uses these components to build new systems, performing the trade-off between different alternatives. At this stage, and in order to verify that the final system meets the extra-functional requirements, the Application Architect uses the reports generated by the integrated analysis tools. This process has been used to support the validation and verification of the on-board application software for the Instrument Control Unit of the Energetic Particle Detector of the Solar Orbiter mission.

Reliability-oriented design of on-board satellite boot software against single event effects

Abstract In space missions, boot software is in charge of the initialisation sequence of flight computers. The processor module in which it runs has a high tolerance to radiation, although not all devices have the same tolerance level. A boot software design capable of recovering from errors in the most vulnerable devices shall provide greater system reliability. This work has been carried out in the context of the boot software development for the control unit of the Energetic Particle Detector instrument on-board the Solar Orbiter mission. This mission operates close to the Sun where high-energy particles can cause single event effects on electronic devices, especially SDRAM and EEPROM, which show lower radiation tolerance than the other devices. This fact motivates this work, where a sensitivity analysis of the incidence of single event effects on the behaviour of the boot software is carried out. Specifically, a fault injection environment has been used to analyse the effect of “stuck-at” bits on the boot software ability to deploy and pass control to the application software. The results show the boot software vulnerability to this kind of permanent effects and have led to the implementation of a reliability-oriented design, presented in this paper.

The Energetic Particle Detector

After decades of observations of solar energetic particles from space-based observatories, relevant questions on particle injection, transport, and acceleration remain open. To address these scientific topics, accurate measurements of the particle properties in the inner heliosphere are needed. In this paper we describe the Energetic Particle Detector (EPD), an instrument suite that is part of the scientific payload aboard the Solar Orbiter mission. Solar Orbiter will approach the Sun as close as 0.28 au and will provide extra-ecliptic measurements beyond ∼30° heliographic latitude during the later stages of the mission. The EPD will measure electrons, protons, and heavy ions with high temporal resolution over a wide energy range, from suprathermal energies up to several hundreds of megaelectronvolts/nucleons. For this purpose, EPD is composed of four units: the SupraThermal Electrons and Protons (STEP), the Electron Proton Telescope (EPT), the Suprathermal Ion Spectrograph (SIS), and the High-Energy Telescope (HET) plus the Instrument Control Unit that serves as power and data interface with the spacecraft. The low-energy population of electrons and ions will be covered by STEP and EPT, while the high-energy range will be measured by HET. Elemental and isotopic ion composition measurements will be performed by SIS and HET, allowing full particle identification from a few kiloelectronvolts up to several hundreds of megaelectronvolts/nucleons. Angular information will be provided by the separate look directions from different sensor heads, on the ecliptic plane along the Parker spiral magnetic field both forward and backwards, and out of the ecliptic plane observing both northern and southern hemispheres. The unparalleled observations of EPD will provide key insights into long-open and crucial questions about the processes that govern energetic particles in the inner heliosphere.

Model-driven environment for configuration control and deployment of on-board satellite software

This paper describes a model-driven environment for configuration control and deployment of on-board satellite software. The solution enables platform-aware software development through the use of modelling artefacts provided by a framework called MICOBS. The paper describes the proposed platform model, as well as the supporting models needed to control the configuration of on-board software. The solution allows managing the models of on-board software projects in such a way that several alternatives for deploying and configuring the packages can be defined. The configuration control during validation and deployment of the on-board software of the control unit of the Energetic Particle Detector instrument on-board Solar Orbiter is presented as a use case. The example shows the versatility of the proposed approach in managing the deployment of software on the different boards resulting from the model philosophy of the space projects, as well as on any possible simulation environments used for software validation. Finally, it is noteworthy to highlight that this approach can also be used in software projects that were not initially following a model-driven paradigm, and that its adoption facilitates the configuration control of reusable software on new platforms adopted in new space missions.

Prototype of a segmented scintillator detector for particle flux measurements on spacecraft

In this paper, we introduce a laboratory prototype of a solar energetic particle (SEP) detector which will operate along with other space-based instruments to give us more insight into the SEP physics. The instrument is designed to detect protons and electrons with kinetic energies from 10 to 100 MeV and from 1 to 10 MeV respectively. The detector is based on a scintillation cylinder divided into separated disks to get more information about detected particles. Scintillation light from isolated segments is collected by optical fibers and registered with silicon photo-multipliers (SiPM). The work contains the result of laboratory testing of the detector prototype. The detector channels were calibrated, energy resolution for every channel was obtained. Moreover, we present an advanced integral data acquisition and analysis technique based on Bayesian statistics, which will allow operation even during SEP events with very large fluxes. The work is motivated by the need for better measurement tools to study acceleration and transport of SEP in the heliosphere as well as by the need for the monitoring tool to mitigate radiation hazard for equipment and people in space.

Juno Energetic Neutral Atom (ENA) Remote Measurements of Magnetospheric Injection Dynamics in Jupiter's Io Torus Regions

AbstractIn planetary magnetospheres, singly charged energetic particles, trapped by the planet's magnetic field, can steal electrons from cold gas atoms and become neutralized. These now energetic neutral atoms (ENAs), no longer confined by the magnetic field, can travel out of the system similar to photons leaving a hot oven. ENAs have been used to image magnetospheric processes at Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn. At Jupiter, the opportunities to image the magnetosphere have been limited and always from the perspective of the near‐equatorial plane at distance >139 RJ. The polar‐orbiting Juno mission carries the Jupiter Energetic particle Detector Instrument that is serendipitously sensitive to ENAs with energies >50 keV, provided that there are no charged particles in the environment to mask their presence. Here we report on the first ENA observations of Jupiter's magnetosphere from a nonequatorial perspective. In this brief report we concentrate on emissions seen during Perijove 22 (PJ22) during very active conditions and compare them with emissions during the inactive Perijove 23 (PJ23). We observe, and discriminate between, distinct ENA signatures from the neutral gases occupying the orbit of Io (away from Io itself), the orbit of Europa (away from Europa), and from Jupiter itself. Strong ENA emissions from Io's orbit during PJ22 are associated with energetic particle injections observed near Io's orbit several hours earlier. Some injections occurred planetward of Io's L‐shell (magnetic position), somewhat of a surprise given that injections are thought to be driven by outward transport of plasmas generated by Io.

The Near-Sun Dust Environment: Initial Observations from Parker Solar Probe

Abstract The Parker Solar Probe (PSP) spacecraft has flown into the densest, previously unexplored, innermost region of our solar system’s zodiacal cloud. While PSP does not have a dedicated dust detector, multiple instruments on the spacecraft are sensitive to the effects of meteoroid bombardment. Here, we discuss measurements taken during PSP’s second orbit and compare them to models of the zodiacal cloud’s dust distribution. Comparing the radial impact rate trends and the timing and location of a dust impact to an energetic particle detector, we find the impactor population to be consistent with dust grains on hyperbolic orbits escaping the solar system. Assuming PSP’s impact environment is dominated by hyperbolic impactors, the total quantity of dust ejected from our solar system is estimated to be 0.5−10 tons/s. We expect PSP will encounter an increasingly intense impactor environment as its perihelion distance and semimajor axis are decreased.

Monte Carlo Evaluation of the Europa Clipper TID Margin Based on the Variability of the Jovian Radiation Environment With Application for Mission Design

AbstractThe Europa Clipper mission will repeatedly pass in and out of the Jovian radiation belts as it explores the icy moon. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of any safety margins for total ionizing dose (TID) ratings on Europa Clipper spacecraft components, the variability of the expected radiation environment must be considered. This study outlines a Monte Carlo calculation of the cumulative probability that the TID will deviate from the nominal value of 150 krad (Si) based on the lognormal distributions of electron fluxes observed in the Jupiter environment by the Galileo Energetic Particle Detector instrument. Our model shows that parts hardened to 300 krad (Si) for a radiation design factor of 2 are expected to withstand the measured variations of the Jupiter radiation environment with margin. This result can be scaled to apply to all parts and materials with different TID levels for the Europa Clipper mission.

Current Status and Main Scientific Results of In-flight CSES Mission

The CSES (China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite) is the electromagnetism satellite of China's Zhangheng mission which is planned to launch a series of microsatellites within next 10 years in order to monitor the electromagnetic environment, gravitational field. The CSES 01 probe (also called ZH-1) was launched successfully on 2 February 2018, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre (China) and is expected to operate for 5 years in orbit. The second probe CSES 02 is going to be launched in 2022. The scientific objectives of CSES are to detect the electromagnetic field and waves, plasma and particles, for studying the seismic-associated disturbances. To meet the requirements of scientific objective, the satellite is designed to be in a sun-synchronous orbit with a high inclination of 97.4° at an altitude around 507 km. CSES carries nine scientific payloads including Search-coil magnetometer, Electric Field Detector, High precision Magnetometer, GNSS occultation Receiver, Plasma Analyzer, Langmuir Probe, two Energetic Particle Detectors (including an Italian one), and Tri-Band Transmitter. Up to now, CSES has been operating in orbit for 2 years with stable and reliable performance. By using all kinds of data acquired by CSES, we have undertaken a series of scientific researches in the field of global geomagnetic field re-building, the ionospheric variation environment, waves, and particle precipitations under disturbed space weather and earthquake activities, the Lithosphere-Atmosphere-Ionosphere coupling mechanism research and so on.

Structural shock verification by numerical analysis of the EPD payload units on board Solar Orbiter spacecraft

Electronic components can be seriously damaged during the launch of spacecraft due to the intense shock loads, which are generated by the launch operations such as the separations of the launcher stages and the release of the spacecraft. A shock verification program should be carried out in the development phase of space instruments to guarantee that the parts most susceptible to shock damage, including electronic components, can withstand the severe shock environment. A new shock verification methodology is described in this paper, where the novelty is the utilization of the numerical simulations to verify the capability of space instruments to withstand the specified shock loads. The proposed procedure has been applied to the units of the Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) payload of the Solar Orbiter mission. The selected approach is not the usual method in the space systems for shock verification, where the preferred method is by testing. Therefore, this work represents one of the few documented cases where numerical simulations have achieved the demonstration of the shock capability of space structures without the need to perform a complete shock test campaign. The application of the numerical analyses for the shock verification of one of the EPD units is explained in detail, where the calculated responses such as maximum expected stresses, accelerations and relative displacements are compared to the allowable limits to demonstrate that this instrument and its sensitive electronic components can adequately support the intense shock loads during the launch phase.

Io's Effect on Energetic Charged Particles as Seen in Juno Data

AbstractOn 12 February 2019, the Juno spacecraft crossed the particle drift shells (L shells) of the moon Io. The energetic particle detector, Jupiter Energetic Particle Detector Instrument (JEDI), found very low fluxes of energetic protons when the spacecraft was inward of about L~6.5. Recent modeling suggests wave‐particle interactions may explain why energetic proton fluxes measured at these radial distances are low. JEDI also measured both a wide and a narrow decrease in the energetic electron count rate in Io's wake. At the time of this decrease, the JEDI detectors were dominated by 0.42 to 10‐MeV electrons. The dimensions of the narrow count rate decrease are about three Io diameters and are unlikely to be caused by absorption by moon itself.

Radiation monitor RADMON aboard Aalto-1 CubeSat: First results

The Radiation Monitor (RADMON) on-board Aalto-1 CubeSat is an energetic particle detector that fulfills the requirements of small size, low power consumption and low budget. Aalto-1 was launched on 23 June 2017 to a sun-synchronous polar orbit with 97.4° inclination and an average altitude of somewhat above 500 km. RADMON has been measuring integral particle intensities from October 2017 to May 2018 with electron energies starting at low-MeV and protons from 10 MeV upwards. In this paper, we present first electron and proton intensity maps obtained over the mission period. In addition, the response of RADMON measurements to magnetospheric dynamics are analyzed, and the electron observations are compared with corresponding measurements by the PROBA-V/EPT mission. Finally, we describe the RADMON data set, which is made publicly available.

Contemporaneous Observations of Jovian Energetic Auroral Electrons and Ultraviolet Emissions by the Juno Spacecraft

AbstractWe present comparisons of precipitating electron flux and auroral brightness measurements made during several Juno transits over Jupiter's auroral regions in both hemispheres. We extract from the ultraviolet spectrograph (UVS) spectral imager H2 emission intensities at locations magnetically conjugate to the spacecraft using the JRM09 model. We use UVS images as close in time as possible to the electron measurements by the Jupiter Energetic Particle Detector Instrument (JEDI) instrument. The upward electron flux generally exceeds the downward component and shows a broadband energy distribution. Auroral intensity is related to total precipitated electron flux and compared with the energy‐integrated JEDI flux inside the loss cone. The far ultraviolet color ratio along the spacecraft footprint maps variations of the mean energy of the auroral electron precipitation. A wide diversity of situations has been observed. The intensity of the diffuse emission equatorward of the main oval is generally in fair agreement with the JEDI downward energy flux. The intensity of the ME matches exceeds or remains below the value expected from the JEDI electron energy flux. The polar emission may be more than an order of magnitude brighter than associated with the JEDI electron flux in association with high values of the color ratio. We tentatively explain these observations by the location of the electron energization region relative to Juno's orbit as it transits the auroral region. Current models predict that the extent and the altitude of electron acceleration along the magnetic field lines are consistent with this assumption.

High-Energy (>10 MeV) Oxygen and Sulfur Ions Observed at Jupiter From Pulse Width Measurements of the JEDI Sensors.

The Jovian polar regions produce X‐rays that are characteristic of very energetic oxygen and sulfur that become highly charged on precipitating into Jupiter's upper atmosphere. Juno has traversed the polar regions above where these energetic ions are expected to be precipitating revealing a complex composition and energy structure. Energetic ions are likely to drive the characteristic X‐rays observed at Jupiter (Haggerty et al., 2017, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL072866; Houston et al., 2018, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JA024872; Kharchenko et al., 2006, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL026039). Motivated by the science of X‐ray generation, we describe here Juno Jupiter Energetic Particle Detector Instrument (JEDI) measurements of ions above 1 MeV and demonstrate the capability of measuring oxygen and sulfur ions with energies up to 100 MeV. We detail the process of retrieving ion fluxes from pulse width data on instruments like JEDI (called “puck's”; Clark, Cohen, et al., 2016, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074366; Clark, Mauk, et al., 2016, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JA022257; Mauk et al., 2013, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-013-0025-3) as well as details on retrieving very energetic particles (>20 MeV) above which the pulse width also saturates.

Auroral hydrogen emissions: a historic survey

Abstract. Auroral spectroscopy provided the first tool for remotely sensing the compositions and dynamics of the high-latitude ionosphere. In 1885, Balmer discovered that the visible hydrogen spectrum consists of a series of discrete lines whose wavelengths follow a simple mathematical pattern, which ranks among the first steps toward developing this tool. On 18 October 1939 Lars Vegard discovered the Hα (656.3 nm) and Hβ (486.1 nm) spectral lines of Balmer series emissions, emanating from a diffuse structure, located equatorward of the auroral zone. Intense, first positive bands of N2+ nearly covered the Hα emissions. With more advanced instrumentation after World War II, auroral spectroscopists Vegard, Gartlein and Meinel investigated other characteristics of the auroral hydrogen emissions. The first three lines of the Balmer series, including Hγ at 410 nm, were identified in ground-based measurements prior to the space age. Based on satellite observations, the Balmer lines Hδ and Hε at 410.13 and 396.97 nm, respectively, as well as extreme ultraviolet (EUV) Lyman α (121.6 nm) hydrogen emissions, were also detected. Doppler blue shifts in hydrogen emissions, established in the 1940s, indicated that emitting particles had energies well into the kiloelectron volt range, corresponding to velocities >1000 km s−1. Systematic spatial separations between the locations of electron- and proton-generated aurorae were also established. These observations in turn, suggested that protons, ultimately of solar origin, precipitate into the topside ionosphere, where they undergo charge-exchange events with atmospheric neutrals. Newly generated hydrogen atoms were left in excited states and emitted the observed Balmer radiation. Sounding rocket data showed that most of the hydrogen radiation came from altitudes between 105 and 120 km. Space-age data from satellite-borne sensors made two significant contributions: (1) energetic particle detectors demonstrated the existence of regions in the magnetosphere, conjugate to nightside proton aurora, where conditions for breaking the first adiabatic invariants of kiloelectron volt protons prevail, allowing them to precipitate through filled loss cones. (2) EUV imagers showed that dayside hydrogen emissions appear in response to changes in solar wind dynamic pressure or the polarity of the north–south component of the interplanetary magnetic field.

Using the Galileo Solid-State Imaging Instrument as a Sensor of Jovian Energetic Electrons

We develop a technique to quantitatively characterize the high-energy electron environment using the Galileo spacecraft solid-state imaging (SSI) instrument and results from 3-D Monte Carlo particle transport simulations in Geant4, validating our findings with the Galileo energetic particle detector (EPD). We postprocess raw SSI images to obtain frames with only the radiation contribution. The camera settings (gain state, filter, and so on) are used to compute the intensity of the observed radiation hits. Simulating the response of the SSI instrument to mono-energetic electron environments, we find that the SSI is capable of detecting ≥10-MeV electrons (>90% of 11-MeV integral flux channel. We find agreement within $3\sigma $ of the EPD data for 43 out of 43 (100%) of the SSI images evaluated. 62% of fluxes are also within $1\sigma $ of the EPD data. This approach can be applied to other sets of imaging data (star trackers) in energetic electron environments, such as those found in geostationary Earth orbit.

Multi-Satellite Operative Monitoring of Near-Earth Radiation within the Universat-SOCRAT Project

In this paper the task of the operative monitoring of radiation conditions in the near-Earth space is considered as a part of a project Universat-SOCRAT of the system of small satellites, which is being developed at Moscow State University. The scientific approach to the realization of this task is determined. The choice of the satellite orbits and spatial orientation and the configuration of energetic charged particle detectors is validated taking into account other tasks performed by the projected satellite system.

Whistler Mode Waves Associated With Broadband Auroral Electron Precipitation at Jupiter

AbstractLarge amplitude electromagnetic plasma waves are observed simultaneously with intense fluxes of electrons precipitating on auroral field lines at Jupiter. Here we present plasma wave observations from the Juno Waves instrument obtained during an instance of very intense broadband electron precipitation observed by the Jupiter Energetic Particle Detector Instrument connecting to Jupiter's main auroral oval. The wave spectrum extends from 50 Hz to ~10 kHz with peak‐to‐peak amplitudes of ~10 nT in the magnetic channel and of ~1 V/m in the electric channel, representing some of the most intense plasma waves observed by Juno. The E and B fields of these electromagnetic waves are correlated and have apparent polarization perpendicular to Jupiter's magnetic field with a downward Poynting flux. We conclude the plasma waves are whistler mode emissions with a possible admixture of ion‐cyclotron or Alfvén waves and may be important in the broadband electron acceleration.

Satellite-based In-situ Monitoring of Space Weather: KSEM Mission and Data Application

Many recent satellites have mission periods longer than 10 years; thus, satellite-based local space weather monitoring is becoming more important than ever. This article describes the instruments and data applications of the Korea Space wEather Monitor (KSEM), which is a space weather payload of the GeoKompsat-2A (GK-2A) geostationary satellite. The KSEM payload consists of energetic particle detectors, magnetometers, and a satellite charging monitor. KSEM will provide accurate measurements of the energetic particle flux and three-axis magnetic field, which are the most essential elements of space weather events, and use sensors and external data such as GOES and DSCOVR to provide five essential space weather products. The longitude of GK-2A is 128.2° E, while those of the GOES satellite series are 75° W and 135° W. Multi-satellite measurements of a wide distribution of geostationary equatorial orbits by KSEM/GK-2A and other satellites will enable the development, improvement, and verification of new space weather forecasting models. KSEM employs a service-oriented magnetometer designed by ESA to reduce magnetic noise from the satellite in real time with a very short boom (1 m), which demonstrates that a satellite-based magnetometer can be made simpler and more convenient without losing any performance.