First dust measurements with the Solar Orbiter Radio and Plasma Wave instrument

0552681 - ASÚ 2022 RIV FR eng J - Journal Article
Zaslavsky, A. - Mann, I. - Souček, J. - Czechowski, A. - Píša, D. - Vaverka, J. - Meyer-Vernet, N. - Maksimovic, M. - Lorfèvre, E. - Rackovic-Babic, K. - Bale, S. D. - Morooka, M. - Vecchio, A. - Chust, T. - Khotyaintsev, Y. V. - Krasnoselskikh, V. - Kretzschmar, M. - Plettemeier, D. - Štverák, Štěpán - Trávníček, P. - Vaivads, A.
First dust measurements with the Solar Orbiter Radio and Plasma Wave instrument.
Astronomy & Astrophysics. Roč. 656, December (2021), č. článku A30. ISSN 0004-6361. E-ISSN 1432-0746
Institutional support: RVO:67985815
Keywords : detectors * data analysis * interplanetary medium
OECD category: Astronomy (including astrophysics,space science)
Impact factor: 6.240, year: 2021
Method of publishing: Open access

We investigate the capabilities of RPW in terms of interplanetary dust studies and present the first analysis of dust impacts recorded by this instrument. Our purpose is to characterize the dust population observed in terms of size, flux, and velocity. We briefly discuss previously developed models of voltage pulse generation after a dust impact onto a spacecraft and present the relevant technical parameters for Solar Orbiter RPW as a dust detector. Then we present the statistical analysis of the dust impacts recorded by RPW /TDS from April 20, 2020 to February 27, 2021 between 0.5AU and 1AU. The study of the dust impact rate along Solar Orbiter's orbit shows that the dust population studied presents a radial velocity component directed outward from the Sun. Its order of magnitude can be roughly estimated as nu(r,dust) similar or equal to 50 km s(-1), which is consistent with the flux of impactors being dominated by fi-meteoroids. We estimate the cumulative flux of these grains at 1AU to be roughly F-beta similar or equal to 8 x 10(-5) m(-2) s(-1) for particles of a radius r greater than or similar to 100 nm. The power law index ffi of the cumulative mass flux of the impactors is evaluated by two di fferents methods, namely: direct observations of voltage pulses and indirect e ffect on the impact rate dependency on the impact speed. Both methods give the following result: delta similar or equal to 0.3-0.4.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0327795