Authors: A. Bürgi,
Reference: Adv. Space Res. 11(1) (1991) 391-400.
Abstract:
Being part of a series on ``Future Space Experiments for Coronal
Observations,'' this paper describes new instrumentation for the
in-situ measuremnet of the solar wind and suprathermal ion
composition. The paper starts with a summary of the area in solar
physics and astrophysics to which the study of ion composition can
contribute. The instrumentation is described in the second edition,
with emphasis on the mass spectrometers of the SOHO/CELIAS experiment.
This experiment was described by Hovestadt et al. /1/, therefore only
the basic priciple of the sensors will be repeated here. All three
sensors use the same basic techniques, in the case of MTOF, however,
these techniques are applied in a new way. The result of this is a
greatly enhanced mass resolution M/ΔM = 100 to 200, much larger
than that of any other space mass spectrometer. The third section
therefore contains a more detailed discussion of SOHO/MTOF, where
results from laboratory measurements and from instrument simulation,
and an effort towards calibration of MTOF, particularly concerning
charge exchange yields in carbon foils, will be presented.