LINDA – the Astrid-2 Langmuir probe instrument

The Swedish micro-satellite Astrid-2, designed for studies in magnetosperic physics, was launched into orbit on 10 December 1998 from the Russian cosmodrome Plesetsk. It was injected into a circular orbit at 1000 km and at 83 degrees inclination. The satellite carried, among other instruments, a double Langmuir Probe instrument called LINDA (Langmuir INterferometer and Density instrument for Astrid-2). The scientific goals of this instrument, as well as the technical design and possible modes of operation, are described. LINDA consists of two lightweight deployable boom systems, each carrying a small spherical probe. With these probes, separated by 2.9 meters, and in combination with a high sampling rate, it was possible to discriminate temporal structures (waves) from spatial structures. An on-board memory made it possible to collect data also at times when there was no ground contact. Plasma density and electron temperature data from all magnetic latitudes and for all seasons have been collected.Key words. Ionosphere (plasma temperature and density; plasma waves and instabilities; instruments and techniques

The electric field and wave experiment for the Cluster mission, Space Sci

Abstract. The electric-field and wave experiment (EFW) on Cluster is designed to measure the electric-field and density fluctuations with sampling rates up to 36 000 samples s ,1 . Langmuir probe sweeps can also be made to determine the electron density and temperature. The instrument has several important capabilities. These include (1) measurements of quasi-static electric fields of amplitudes up to 700 mV m ,1 with high amplitude and time resolution, (2) measurements over short periods of time of up to five simualtaneous waveforms (two electric signals and three magnetic signals from the seach coil magnetometer sensors) of a bandwidth of 4 kHz with high time resolution, (3) measurements of density fluctuations in four points with high time resolution. Among the more interesting scientific objectives of the experiment are studies of nonlinear wave phenomena that result in acceleration of plasma as well as large-and small-scale interferometric measurements. By using four spacecraft for large-scale differential measurements and several Langmuir probes on one spacecraft for small-scale interferometry, it will be possible to study motion and shape of plasma structures on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. This paper describes the primary scientific objectives of the EFW experiment and the technical capabilities of the instrument