Experimental study on ZH-1SEFD for CSES in the ground simulating plasma environments

• Published in: Planetary and space science Vol. 192; p. 105006
• Main Authors: Ma, Mianjun, Li, Cheng, Lei, Jungang, Li, Shixun, Wang, Runfu, Zong, Chao, Liu, Ze, Chen, Tao, Cui, Yang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-11-2020
• Subjects: CSES; Experimental verification; GSPE; Test evaluation; ZH-1SEFD; GSPE; CSES; Experimental verification; Test evaluation; ZH-1SEFD
• ISSN: 0032-0633; 1873-5088
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pss.2020.105006

ZhangHeng-1 space electric field detector (ZH-1SEFD) is one of the main payloads aboard China Seismo-Electromagnetic satellite (CSES). The necessity and involved items of experimental verification and test evaluation of ZH-1SEFD in the ground simulating plasma environments (GSPE) are briefly introduced,and the normal orbit plasma environment conditions of CSES is discussed. It is found that the density and potential gradients along axial and radial directions exist objectively in the plasma environment of Italian IAPS-PC or other related systems, and then the axial and radial electric fields also exist in. Then the feasibility of the experimental verification and test evaluation of ZH-1SEFD in GSPE using IAPS-PC is demonstrated. On above basis, the major ideas, methods and system composition of experimental verification and test evaluation of ZH-1SEFD in GSPE are narrated. Experimental results show that, ZH-1SEFD sensor potential coupling and the active bias current effect in GSPE are in accordance with the related physical principle, and the sensor consistency is good. The further experimental results also show that, ZH-1SEFD can effectively detect and obtain the electric field information and its variation in the local plasma environments, and the combined channel consistency is also good. All these studies show that the ZH-1SEFD and its electric field measurement results are reliable.
•Demonstrate the verification and evaluation feasibility of ZH-1 Space Electric Field Detector in simulation environments.•Verify the potential coupling physics principle of the sensors for ZH-1 Space Electric Field Detector in the plasma.•Test and Verify the the potential coupling consistency of the 4 sensors for ZH-1 Space Electric Field Detector in the plasma.•Verify the electric field detection consistency by the different combined channels of ZH-1 Space Electric Field Detector.•Provide the useful reference for development and ground test verification of similar space environment detection payloads.