Oral Presentation

Simulation study of wake formation behind the Debye-scale object

Author(s): Chun-Sung Jao (National Central University, Taiwan), Sigvald Marholm (Institute for Energy Technology, Norway), Andres Spicher (University of Oslo, Norway), Wojciech J. Miloch (University of Oslo, Norway)

Presenter: Chun-Sung Jao (National Central University)

For the high-resolution plasma density data, the multi-needle Langmuir probe (m-NLP) instrument, consisting of several fixed-biased cylindrical probes, have been flown on the instrument-carrying mission. The in-situ measurements can be influenced by local plasma disturbances, which are due to space plasma interacting with solid objects, such as rocket bodies and booms. Since the m-NLP instrument consists of two or more Langmuir probes, the interaction between the plasma and a Debye-scale probe may affect the measurement of other probes. We address this issue with numerical simulations by using a self-consistent Particle-In-Cell model. The studies can also provide a reference for assessing the performance and future improvements in the design of m-NLP instruments and the spacecraft system with a similar spatial scale.