MSSL PRD Case for Support: Solar Wind Plasma Analyser/Electron Analyser System for Solar Orbiter
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Mullard Space Science Laboratory
Abstract
One of the key measurement goals for the ESA Solar Orbiter mission is to characterise the particle populations found in the solar wind, particularly in the unexplored 'inner heliosphere' region close to the Sun. In doing so, we will be able to obtain clues to both the physical processes that occur between plasmas and magnetic fields in the solar wind, to examine the effect of solar wind structures, such as coronal mass ejections, as they propagate away from the Sun, and also to make the important link between the solar wind and the activity in the Solar atmosphere in order to understand how the solar wind and the structures within it are formed. UCl/MSSL is part of an international consortium which will propose to build the instruments that will measure the charged particle populations in the solar wind. In particular, MSSL will provide the 2 sensors that are required to make a complete measurement of the electron populations within the solar wind. Since the Solar Orbiter mission will go closer to the Sun than any previous mission, there are a number of technical challenges that must be overcome in order to achieve the required measurements and gain the required science return. We have built a prototype sensor which is under test within the MSSL thermal vacuum chambers. Further testing and design work is required to tune the sensors to maximise their effectiveness in the inner heliospheric environment. In addition MSSL is required to collaborate with ESA in order to ensure that the interfaces between our sensors and the spacecraft are well defined and appropriate. The purpose of the tasks proposed here are to carry out these design and trade-off studies in order to maximise the chances of scientific success once the instrument is built and the mission launched.
Organisations
- University College London (Lead Research Organisation)
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (Collaboration)
- Research Institute in Astrophysics and Planetology (Collaboration)
- Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) (Collaboration)
- University of New Hampshire (Collaboration)
- Charles University (Collaboration)
- University of Michigan (Collaboration)
- Laboratory of Plasma Physics (LPP) (Collaboration)
- National Research Council (Collaboration)
Publications
Abraham J
(2022)
Radial Evolution of Thermal and Suprathermal Electron Populations in the Slow Solar Wind from 0.13 to 0.5 au: Parker Solar Probe Observations
in The Astrophysical Journal
Agudelo Rueda J
(2022)
Agyrotropy patterns in 3D small-scall turbulent reconnection
Agudelo Rueda J
(2020)
Identifying and Quantifying the Role of Magnetic Reconnection in Space Plasma Turbulence
Aizawa S
(2022)
LatHyS global hybrid simulation of the BepiColombo second Venus flyby
in Planetary and Space Science
Bisi M
(2010)
From the Sun to the Earth: The 13 May 2005 Coronal Mass Ejection
in Solar Physics
Collinson G
(2012)
Publisher's Note: "The geometric factor of electrostatic plasma analyzers: A case study from the Fast Plasma Investigation for the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission" [Rev. Sci. Instrum. 83, 033303 (2012)]
in Review of Scientific Instruments
Collinson GA
(2012)
The geometric factor of electrostatic plasma analyzers: a case study from the Fast Plasma Investigation for the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission.
in The Review of scientific instruments
Dimmock A
(2022)
Mirror mode storms observed by Solar Orbiter
Foullon C
(2009)
The Apparent Layered Structure of the Heliospheric Current Sheet: Multi-Spacecraft Observations
in Solar Physics
Foullon C
(2009)
The Apparent Layered Structure of the Heliospheric Current Sheet: Multi-Spacecraft Observations
in Solar Physics
Gómez-Herrero R
(2021)
First near-relativistic solar electron events observed by EPD onboard Solar Orbiter
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Horbury T
(2020)
The Solar Orbiter magnetometer
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Jeong S
(2022)
The Kinetic Expansion of Solar-wind Electrons: Transport Theory and Predictions for the Very Inner Heliosphere
in The Astrophysical Journal
Kataria, DO And Collinson, G And Coates, AJ And Fazakerley, A And Owen, CJ And Taylor, B And Bradley, L
(2007)
Performance of a prototype electrostatic analyzer for future solar and heliophysics mission - art. no. 668912
Li C
(2009)
Solar source of energetic particles in interplanetary space during the 2006 December 13 event
in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Li C
(2009)
Solar source of energetic particles in interplanetary space during the 2006 December 13 event
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Macneil A
(2019)
Active Region Modulation of Coronal Hole Solar Wind
in The Astrophysical Journal
Macneil A
(2020)
Radial Evolution of Sunward Strahl Electrons in the Inner Heliosphere
in Solar Physics
Maksimovic M
(2020)
The Solar Orbiter Radio and Plasma Waves (RPW) instrument
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Müller D
(2020)
The Solar Orbiter mission Science overview
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Nicolaou G
(2020)
Determining the Bulk Parameters of Plasma Electrons from Pitch-Angle Distribution Measurements.
in Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)
Nicolaou G
(2019)
The Impact of Turbulent Solar Wind Fluctuations on Solar Orbiter Plasma Proton Measurements
in The Astrophysical Journal
Nicolaou G
(2018)
Determining the Kappa Distributions of Space Plasmas from Observations in a Limited Energy Range
in The Astrophysical Journal
Owen C
(2020)
The Solar Orbiter Solar Wind Analyser (SWA) suite
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Pudney M
(2019)
Solar Orbiter Strategies for EMC Control and Verification
Rodríguez-Pacheco J
(2020)
The Energetic Particle Detector Energetic particle instrument suite for the Solar Orbiter mission
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Rouillard A
(2020)
Models and data analysis tools for the Solar Orbiter mission
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Réville V
(2022)
Flux rope and dynamics of the heliospheric current sheet Study of the Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter conjunction of June 2020
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Sioulas N
(2022)
Magnetic Field Intermittency in the Solar Wind: Parker Solar Probe and SolO Observations Ranging from the Alfvén Region up to 1 AU
in The Astrophysical Journal
Stansby D
(2021)
Sensitivity of solar wind mass flux to coronal temperature
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Steed K.
(2008)
Locating the solar source of 13 April 2006 magnetic cloud
in ANNALES GEOPHYSICAE
Walsh A
(2020)
Coordination of the in situ payload of Solar Orbiter
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Walsh A
(2013)
An indication of the existence of a solar wind strahl at 10 AU
in Geophysical Research Letters
Zouganelis I
(2020)
The Solar Orbiter Science Activity Plan Translating solar and heliospheric physics questions into action
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Description | This grant funded the assessment of the design for the UCL/MSSL prototype for the electron sensor for the Solar Orbiter SWA suite of sensors. This work led to the confirmation of the mission and the instruments by ESA. |
Exploitation Route | This work has fed into the development work for the instrument which will be included in the scientific payload for Solar Orbiter and launched in 2017. Development of certain subsystems (e.g. miniature high-voltage generators) can be used for further space and ground based applications. |
Sectors | Aerospace Defence and Marine Electronics |
Description | Findings have been fed into the design and ongoing construction of the SWA electron sensor for Solar Orbiter, following confirmation of the mission in 2011. |
First Year Of Impact | 2011 |
Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine |
Description | PPRP/Cosmic Visions Funding |
Amount | £61,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | ST/H001174/1 |
Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2009 |
End | 01/2010 |
Description | SWA Consortium |
Organisation | Charles University |
Department | Faculty of Mathematics and Physics |
Country | Czech Republic |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We (UCL/MSSL) are the Principle Investigator Institution for the Solar Orbiter SWA (Solar Wind Analyser) suite of instruments, with responsibility for leading and managing the whole of the international consortium. As well as scientific and technical leadership of the entire suite, UCL/MSSL is responsible for the specific design and build of the the Electron Analyser System (EAS). |
Collaborator Contribution | We are directly collaborating with LPP on the provision of an electron analyser system (EAS) for Solar Orbiter. We will contribute an FPGA to the Proton-Alpha Sensor (PAS), the design and build of which is the responsibility of the French IRAP team. the czech group will also contribute to PAS. IRAP will collaborate with the US groups on the design and build of the Heavy ion sensor (HIS). |
Impact | We are now in the build phase of the project. This collection of grants has supported the study, assessment and definition phases of the project as well as providing support for developing the original proposal and securing the leadership of the consortium. The consortium successfully passed its European Space Agency Preliminary Design Review in Summer 2012. The Critical Design Review will be held in Oct/Nov 2013. The structural and thermal models of the instruments are also nearing completion for delivery in summer 2013. Many hundreds of consortium documents have been generated over this time. |
Start Year | 2006 |
Description | SWA Consortium |
Organisation | Laboratory of Plasma Physics (LPP) |
Country | Belgium |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We (UCL/MSSL) are the Principle Investigator Institution for the Solar Orbiter SWA (Solar Wind Analyser) suite of instruments, with responsibility for leading and managing the whole of the international consortium. As well as scientific and technical leadership of the entire suite, UCL/MSSL is responsible for the specific design and build of the the Electron Analyser System (EAS). |
Collaborator Contribution | We are directly collaborating with LPP on the provision of an electron analyser system (EAS) for Solar Orbiter. We will contribute an FPGA to the Proton-Alpha Sensor (PAS), the design and build of which is the responsibility of the French IRAP team. the czech group will also contribute to PAS. IRAP will collaborate with the US groups on the design and build of the Heavy ion sensor (HIS). |
Impact | We are now in the build phase of the project. This collection of grants has supported the study, assessment and definition phases of the project as well as providing support for developing the original proposal and securing the leadership of the consortium. The consortium successfully passed its European Space Agency Preliminary Design Review in Summer 2012. The Critical Design Review will be held in Oct/Nov 2013. The structural and thermal models of the instruments are also nearing completion for delivery in summer 2013. Many hundreds of consortium documents have been generated over this time. |
Start Year | 2006 |
Description | SWA Consortium |
Organisation | National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) |
Department | Goddard Space Flight Center |
Country | United States |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | We (UCL/MSSL) are the Principle Investigator Institution for the Solar Orbiter SWA (Solar Wind Analyser) suite of instruments, with responsibility for leading and managing the whole of the international consortium. As well as scientific and technical leadership of the entire suite, UCL/MSSL is responsible for the specific design and build of the the Electron Analyser System (EAS). |
Collaborator Contribution | We are directly collaborating with LPP on the provision of an electron analyser system (EAS) for Solar Orbiter. We will contribute an FPGA to the Proton-Alpha Sensor (PAS), the design and build of which is the responsibility of the French IRAP team. the czech group will also contribute to PAS. IRAP will collaborate with the US groups on the design and build of the Heavy ion sensor (HIS). |
Impact | We are now in the build phase of the project. This collection of grants has supported the study, assessment and definition phases of the project as well as providing support for developing the original proposal and securing the leadership of the consortium. The consortium successfully passed its European Space Agency Preliminary Design Review in Summer 2012. The Critical Design Review will be held in Oct/Nov 2013. The structural and thermal models of the instruments are also nearing completion for delivery in summer 2013. Many hundreds of consortium documents have been generated over this time. |
Start Year | 2006 |
Description | SWA Consortium |
Organisation | National Research Council |
Department | Institute of Interplanetary Space Physics |
Country | Italy |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We (UCL/MSSL) are the Principle Investigator Institution for the Solar Orbiter SWA (Solar Wind Analyser) suite of instruments, with responsibility for leading and managing the whole of the international consortium. As well as scientific and technical leadership of the entire suite, UCL/MSSL is responsible for the specific design and build of the the Electron Analyser System (EAS). |
Collaborator Contribution | We are directly collaborating with LPP on the provision of an electron analyser system (EAS) for Solar Orbiter. We will contribute an FPGA to the Proton-Alpha Sensor (PAS), the design and build of which is the responsibility of the French IRAP team. the czech group will also contribute to PAS. IRAP will collaborate with the US groups on the design and build of the Heavy ion sensor (HIS). |
Impact | We are now in the build phase of the project. This collection of grants has supported the study, assessment and definition phases of the project as well as providing support for developing the original proposal and securing the leadership of the consortium. The consortium successfully passed its European Space Agency Preliminary Design Review in Summer 2012. The Critical Design Review will be held in Oct/Nov 2013. The structural and thermal models of the instruments are also nearing completion for delivery in summer 2013. Many hundreds of consortium documents have been generated over this time. |
Start Year | 2006 |
Description | SWA Consortium |
Organisation | Research Institute in Astrophysics and Planetology |
Country | France |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We (UCL/MSSL) are the Principle Investigator Institution for the Solar Orbiter SWA (Solar Wind Analyser) suite of instruments, with responsibility for leading and managing the whole of the international consortium. As well as scientific and technical leadership of the entire suite, UCL/MSSL is responsible for the specific design and build of the the Electron Analyser System (EAS). |
Collaborator Contribution | We are directly collaborating with LPP on the provision of an electron analyser system (EAS) for Solar Orbiter. We will contribute an FPGA to the Proton-Alpha Sensor (PAS), the design and build of which is the responsibility of the French IRAP team. the czech group will also contribute to PAS. IRAP will collaborate with the US groups on the design and build of the Heavy ion sensor (HIS). |
Impact | We are now in the build phase of the project. This collection of grants has supported the study, assessment and definition phases of the project as well as providing support for developing the original proposal and securing the leadership of the consortium. The consortium successfully passed its European Space Agency Preliminary Design Review in Summer 2012. The Critical Design Review will be held in Oct/Nov 2013. The structural and thermal models of the instruments are also nearing completion for delivery in summer 2013. Many hundreds of consortium documents have been generated over this time. |
Start Year | 2006 |
Description | SWA Consortium |
Organisation | Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) |
Department | Space Research |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We (UCL/MSSL) are the Principle Investigator Institution for the Solar Orbiter SWA (Solar Wind Analyser) suite of instruments, with responsibility for leading and managing the whole of the international consortium. As well as scientific and technical leadership of the entire suite, UCL/MSSL is responsible for the specific design and build of the the Electron Analyser System (EAS). |
Collaborator Contribution | We are directly collaborating with LPP on the provision of an electron analyser system (EAS) for Solar Orbiter. We will contribute an FPGA to the Proton-Alpha Sensor (PAS), the design and build of which is the responsibility of the French IRAP team. the czech group will also contribute to PAS. IRAP will collaborate with the US groups on the design and build of the Heavy ion sensor (HIS). |
Impact | We are now in the build phase of the project. This collection of grants has supported the study, assessment and definition phases of the project as well as providing support for developing the original proposal and securing the leadership of the consortium. The consortium successfully passed its European Space Agency Preliminary Design Review in Summer 2012. The Critical Design Review will be held in Oct/Nov 2013. The structural and thermal models of the instruments are also nearing completion for delivery in summer 2013. Many hundreds of consortium documents have been generated over this time. |
Start Year | 2006 |
Description | SWA Consortium |
Organisation | University of Michigan |
Department | Space Research Building (SRB) |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We (UCL/MSSL) are the Principle Investigator Institution for the Solar Orbiter SWA (Solar Wind Analyser) suite of instruments, with responsibility for leading and managing the whole of the international consortium. As well as scientific and technical leadership of the entire suite, UCL/MSSL is responsible for the specific design and build of the the Electron Analyser System (EAS). |
Collaborator Contribution | We are directly collaborating with LPP on the provision of an electron analyser system (EAS) for Solar Orbiter. We will contribute an FPGA to the Proton-Alpha Sensor (PAS), the design and build of which is the responsibility of the French IRAP team. the czech group will also contribute to PAS. IRAP will collaborate with the US groups on the design and build of the Heavy ion sensor (HIS). |
Impact | We are now in the build phase of the project. This collection of grants has supported the study, assessment and definition phases of the project as well as providing support for developing the original proposal and securing the leadership of the consortium. The consortium successfully passed its European Space Agency Preliminary Design Review in Summer 2012. The Critical Design Review will be held in Oct/Nov 2013. The structural and thermal models of the instruments are also nearing completion for delivery in summer 2013. Many hundreds of consortium documents have been generated over this time. |
Start Year | 2006 |
Description | SWA Consortium |
Organisation | University of New Hampshire |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We (UCL/MSSL) are the Principle Investigator Institution for the Solar Orbiter SWA (Solar Wind Analyser) suite of instruments, with responsibility for leading and managing the whole of the international consortium. As well as scientific and technical leadership of the entire suite, UCL/MSSL is responsible for the specific design and build of the the Electron Analyser System (EAS). |
Collaborator Contribution | We are directly collaborating with LPP on the provision of an electron analyser system (EAS) for Solar Orbiter. We will contribute an FPGA to the Proton-Alpha Sensor (PAS), the design and build of which is the responsibility of the French IRAP team. the czech group will also contribute to PAS. IRAP will collaborate with the US groups on the design and build of the Heavy ion sensor (HIS). |
Impact | We are now in the build phase of the project. This collection of grants has supported the study, assessment and definition phases of the project as well as providing support for developing the original proposal and securing the leadership of the consortium. The consortium successfully passed its European Space Agency Preliminary Design Review in Summer 2012. The Critical Design Review will be held in Oct/Nov 2013. The structural and thermal models of the instruments are also nearing completion for delivery in summer 2013. Many hundreds of consortium documents have been generated over this time. |
Start Year | 2006 |
Title | SWA/EAS Prototype |
Description | Development culminated in 2012 after many years work supported by a number of Solar Orbiter-related grants. The new analyser for Solar Orbiter incorporates novel features: i) Aperture deflection system ii) Variable Geometric Factor iii) Miniaturised HV and other electronic systems Charged particle detectors |
Type Of Technology | Detection Devices |
Year Produced | 2012 |
Impact | Prototype meets challenging mass and power restrictions for the mission while maintaining, indeed improving, scientific performance. Potential applications for Space Weather related activities. Subsystems (e.g. mini-HV supplies) of potential in a wide ra |