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| INSTITUTET FÖR RYMDFYSIK | UPPSALA |
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| Swedish Institute of Space Physics | (59°50.272′N, 17°38.786′E) |
Project work / Examensarbete (30 hp)
Simulations of Langmuir probes in space
Student: vacantSupervisor: Anders Eriksson
Period: 20 weeks, starting soon as possible!
Background
Langmuir probes are conceptually simple instruments for the characterization of space plasma parameters like density, temperature and flow speed. During the years, we have built Langmuir probes for a number of spacecraft, of which the most recent are NASA's Cassini (at Saturn) and ESA's Rosetta (on its way to a comet).There are a lot of theoretical investigations showing how to interpret Langmuir probe data and derive the plasma parameters from the primary current measurements. However, the detailed influence of perturbations from the spacecraft depends on the configuration on each spacecraft, and here no general theory exists. Numerical simulations are needed in most cases.
Project
Use the ESA-sponsored open-source package SPIS (Spacecraft Plasma Interaction System) to simulate the measurements on Rosetta and/or Cassini, and compare the simulations to actual data. The project will involve interactions with other scientists at IRF Uppsala and at KTH in Stockholm, and possibly with other research groups, particularly in France and at ESA's technical facility in Holland, ESTEC.Completed and ongoing projects
There has been a series of students working on these kind of simulations, often working closely together and with other scientists abroad:- Marco Chiaretta [Swarm/AE], Numerical modelling of Langmuir probe measurements in space
- Christian Hånberg [Rosetta/AE], Parametric modelling of Rosetta spacecraft potential measurements
- Thomas Nilsson [Cassini/AE], Modelling
of Cassini Langmuir probe measurements
- Alexander Sjögren [Rosetta/AE], Modelling
of Rosetta Langmuir probe measurements
- Ram Prakash [Cluster/AE], Numerical study of spacecraft wake formation
- Erik Engwall [Cluster/AE], Numerical studies of spacecraft-plasma interaction
Contact
![[Rosetta]](http://www.space.irfu.se/rosetta/ros_lap.gif)
ESA's comet hunter Rosetta, with the two Langmuir probes from IRF Uppsala at the end of the booms protruding from the spacecraft. Each probe is a sphere of 50 mm diameter.