NICE: An instrument for direct mass spectrometric measurement of interstellar neutral gas

M. Wieser; P. Wurz; P. Bochsler; E. Moebius; J. Quinn; S. A. Fuselier; A. Ghielmetti; J. N. Defazio; T. M. Stephen; R. J. Nemanich

doi:10.1088/0957-0233/16/8/019

NICE: An instrument for direct mass spectrometric measurement of interstellar neutral gas

M. Wieser, P. Wurz, P. Bochsler, E. Moebius, J. Quinn, S. A. Fuselier, A. Ghielmetti, J. N. Defazio, T. M. Stephen, R. J. Nemanich

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

The direct measurement of the neutral interstellar gas requires a very sensitive neutral. particle imaging instrument in the energy range of 10 eV-1000 eV. For successful detection and identification, the neutral particles have to be ionized first, which will be accomplished via surface ionization. This method is successfully employed in the Low Energy Neutral Atom imager (LENA) instrument on the IMAGE spacecraft launched on 25 March 2000, which still operates well. We present the laboratory prototype of the Neutral Interstellar Composition Experiment (NICE), a neutral particle mass spectrometer dedicated to the measurement of interstellar gas, and will discuss its instrumental characteristics. Performance is evaluated with emphasis on the neutral to negative ion conversion for hydrogen and oxygen and the collection of these ions by the mass spectrometer. Measurements of the detection efficiency of the prototype for primary neutral hydrogen and oxygen atoms are presented. Several conversion surfaces, conductive and insulating, were investigated and all are potential candidates for a next generation neutral particle imaging. instrument.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	1667-1676
Number of pages	10
Journal	Measurement Science and Technology
Volume	16
Issue number	8
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-0233/16/8/019
State	Published - Aug 1 2005
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Energetic neutral atoms
Imaging neutral atom detector
Interstellar medium
Mass spectrometry
Surface ionization

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Instrumentation
Engineering (miscellaneous)
Applied Mathematics

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10.1088/0957-0233/16/8/019

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title = "NICE: An instrument for direct mass spectrometric measurement of interstellar neutral gas",

abstract = "The direct measurement of the neutral interstellar gas requires a very sensitive neutral. particle imaging instrument in the energy range of 10 eV-1000 eV. For successful detection and identification, the neutral particles have to be ionized first, which will be accomplished via surface ionization. This method is successfully employed in the Low Energy Neutral Atom imager (LENA) instrument on the IMAGE spacecraft launched on 25 March 2000, which still operates well. We present the laboratory prototype of the Neutral Interstellar Composition Experiment (NICE), a neutral particle mass spectrometer dedicated to the measurement of interstellar gas, and will discuss its instrumental characteristics. Performance is evaluated with emphasis on the neutral to negative ion conversion for hydrogen and oxygen and the collection of these ions by the mass spectrometer. Measurements of the detection efficiency of the prototype for primary neutral hydrogen and oxygen atoms are presented. Several conversion surfaces, conductive and insulating, were investigated and all are potential candidates for a next generation neutral particle imaging. instrument.",

keywords = "Energetic neutral atoms, Imaging neutral atom detector, Interstellar medium, Mass spectrometry, Surface ionization",

author = "M. Wieser and P. Wurz and P. Bochsler and E. Moebius and J. Quinn and Fuselier, {S. A.} and A. Ghielmetti and Defazio, {J. N.} and Stephen, {T. M.} and Nemanich, {R. J.}",

year = "2005",

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doi = "10.1088/0957-0233/16/8/019",

language = "English (US)",

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T2 - An instrument for direct mass spectrometric measurement of interstellar neutral gas

AU - Wieser, M.

AU - Wurz, P.

AU - Bochsler, P.

AU - Moebius, E.

AU - Quinn, J.

AU - Fuselier, S. A.

AU - Ghielmetti, A.

AU - Defazio, J. N.

AU - Stephen, T. M.

AU - Nemanich, R. J.

PY - 2005/8/1

Y1 - 2005/8/1

N2 - The direct measurement of the neutral interstellar gas requires a very sensitive neutral. particle imaging instrument in the energy range of 10 eV-1000 eV. For successful detection and identification, the neutral particles have to be ionized first, which will be accomplished via surface ionization. This method is successfully employed in the Low Energy Neutral Atom imager (LENA) instrument on the IMAGE spacecraft launched on 25 March 2000, which still operates well. We present the laboratory prototype of the Neutral Interstellar Composition Experiment (NICE), a neutral particle mass spectrometer dedicated to the measurement of interstellar gas, and will discuss its instrumental characteristics. Performance is evaluated with emphasis on the neutral to negative ion conversion for hydrogen and oxygen and the collection of these ions by the mass spectrometer. Measurements of the detection efficiency of the prototype for primary neutral hydrogen and oxygen atoms are presented. Several conversion surfaces, conductive and insulating, were investigated and all are potential candidates for a next generation neutral particle imaging. instrument.

AB - The direct measurement of the neutral interstellar gas requires a very sensitive neutral. particle imaging instrument in the energy range of 10 eV-1000 eV. For successful detection and identification, the neutral particles have to be ionized first, which will be accomplished via surface ionization. This method is successfully employed in the Low Energy Neutral Atom imager (LENA) instrument on the IMAGE spacecraft launched on 25 March 2000, which still operates well. We present the laboratory prototype of the Neutral Interstellar Composition Experiment (NICE), a neutral particle mass spectrometer dedicated to the measurement of interstellar gas, and will discuss its instrumental characteristics. Performance is evaluated with emphasis on the neutral to negative ion conversion for hydrogen and oxygen and the collection of these ions by the mass spectrometer. Measurements of the detection efficiency of the prototype for primary neutral hydrogen and oxygen atoms are presented. Several conversion surfaces, conductive and insulating, were investigated and all are potential candidates for a next generation neutral particle imaging. instrument.

KW - Energetic neutral atoms

KW - Imaging neutral atom detector

KW - Interstellar medium

KW - Mass spectrometry

KW - Surface ionization

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JO - Measurement Science and Technology

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ER -

NICE: An instrument for direct mass spectrometric measurement of interstellar neutral gas

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Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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