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This review article examines modern diagnostic methods for measuring space plasma particles in situ, with emphasis on top-hat electrostatic analyzers used in missions like Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter. The article presents recent scientific discoveries enabled by high-resolution measurements of particle velocity distributions and electromagnetic fields in space environments including solar wind and Earth's magnetosphere. It also discusses future challenges and requirements for plasma diagnostics in upcoming missions such as Vigil, HelioSwarm, M-MATISSE, and Debye.
Why it matters
Advanced space plasma measurements are critical for understanding fundamental plasma processes that cannot be replicated in Earth-based laboratories, with direct applications to space weather forecasting and protecting satellites and infrastructure from solar activity. The development of improved diagnostic instruments will enhance our ability to predict and mitigate space weather impacts on technology and communications systems.
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⚠️ Preprint – Noch nicht peer-reviewed
Dieser Artikel wurde noch nicht von unabhängigen Experten begutachtet. Die Ergebnisse sind vorläufig und sollten mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden.
Abstract: Space plasmas like the solar wind or the Earth’s space environment offer unique opportunities to observe fundamental plasma processes and their impact in situ. With modern space instrumentation, we measure the velocity distribution function of the plasma particles as well as the electromagnetic fields at high resolution and with minimal perturbation of the observed plasma systems. Plasma measurements like this are often not possible in laboratory settings on Earth. This review article focuses on modern diagnostic methods for the in-situ detection of plasma particles in space. It presents the detection principle of top-hat electrostatic analysers and highlights recent examples of scientific discoveries based on data from the heliospheric space missions Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter. These examples demonstrate the capabilities of modern space plasma instrumentation. The article then discusses future directions in space plasma physics as well as the involved challenges in terms of the required plasma diagnostics. These new developments include, for example, upcoming and proposed space missions such as the operational space-weather mission Vigil, the multi-spacecraft mission HelioSwarm, the Mars mission M-MATISSE, and the electron-astrophysics mission Debye.
Source: In-situ measurements of space plasma: recent progress and future challenges