Computer Method for Satellite Plasma Sheath in Steady-State Spherical Symmetry.
Abstract
The present report is concerned with a computational model for describing the interaction between an idealized spacecraft and a parameterized plasma. The spacecraft is represented by a conducting sphere, while the ambient plasma is stationary with respect to the sphere and consists of electrons and ions. The electrons and ions are assumed to be described by Maxwellian distributions, with temperature and number density as the parameters. The sphere is assumed to be non-emitting and to absorb all charges incident on it. (Photoelectron and secondary electron emission, which are important at high altitudes, can be included by an extension of the computer method of this report). This model is identical to that of a spherical electrostatic Langmuir probe, the theory of which at arbitrary Debye lengths has been treated by Laframboise. The electric field and the ion and electron density distributions are spherically symmetric about the sphere, and depend only on the radial distance.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 31, 1975
- Accession Number
- ADA015066
Entities
People
- Lee W. Parker