Physics of Satellite Surface Charging: Causes, Effects, and Applications

This book will explore the fundamentals of spacecraft charging: why it occurs, when it occurs, where it occurs, how to measure it, and its side effects. It will discuss state-of-the-art spacecraft charging technologies, which will be explained in detail and with pedagogical emphasis. Exercises for further learning will be included to facilitate a deeper understanding of the material. It will be of interest to advanced undergraduate and graduate students, in addition to researchers working in physics and engineering keen to understand more about spacecraft interactions with space plasmas. Key Features: Translates complex terminology into accessible language Authored by experts in the field Provides worked examples and exercises for further learning

Table of Contents:
Foreword vii Biography ix CHAPTER 1 ■ Overview 1 CHAPTER 2 ■ Spacecraft Equilibrium Potential 11 CHAPTER 3 ■ Current Balance 19 CHAPTER 4 ■ How to Measure Spacecraft Potential 25 CHAPTER 5 ■ Secondary and Backscattered Electrons 33 CHAPTER 6 ■ Critical Temperature for the Onset of Spacecraft Charging 43 CHAPTER 7 ■ Importance of Surface Conditions 55 CHAPTER 8 ■ High-Level Spacecraft Potential 63 CHAPTER 9 ■ Spacecraft Charging in Sunlight 71 CHAPTER 10 ■ The Monopole-Dipole Model 81 CHAPTER 11 ■ The Question of Independence on Ambient Electron Density in Spacecraft Charging 91 CHAPTER 12 ■ Spacecraft Charging Induced by Beam Emissions 101 CHAPTER 13 ■ Mitigation Methods 115 Index 125

About the Author :
SHU T. LAI earned his Ph.D. and M.A. from Brandeis University and his B.Sc. from the University of Hong Kong. He earned his Certificate of Special Studies in Administration and Management from Harvard University. He did research at AFRL. He is currently affiliated with the Space Propulsion Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Institute of Scientific Research, Boston College. A recognized leader in spacecraft interactions with space plasmas, he has written more than one hundred publications and owns three patents. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEEE), a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, and a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. He has served as the Chair of the AIAA Atmospheric and Space Environments Technical Committee and the Chair of the AIAA Atmospheric and Space Environments Standards Committee. He is now serving as a Senior Editor of IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science. REZY PRADIPTA earned his Ph.D. and S.M. in Nuclear Science and Engineering and his S.B. in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He did his postdoctoral work at the Institute for Scientific Research, Boston College. He is currently a senior research scientist at the Institute for Scientific Research, Boston College. His research is about space plasma phenomena and their potential impacts on technological systems using observations from multi-diagnostic instruments such as radars and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). These space phenomena include ionospheric plasma density irregularities, traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs), acoustic-gravity waves (AGWs), and equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs). In addition to research activities, he also teaches an upper level undergraduate course (Space Weather and Consequences) at the Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Boston College.