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Establishing a Hybrid Plasma Environment Simulation Facility
並列摘要
Over the past decade, investigations into dusty plasmas have improved our understanding of protoplanetary environments, moons (including Earth's Moon), ring systems and comets. They have also been instrumental in the advancement of semiconductor development, nanofabrication and are proving of great interest in the dust contamination problems found within nuclear fusion devices such as ITER. Recently, the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG) identified a need for research on the lunar dust and plasma environment. As part of its goal to expand current research capability in this area, the Center for Astrophysics, Space Physics and Engineering Research (CASPER) at Baylor University, Texas, and its partner the Institute of Space Systems (IRS, in German: Institut für Raumfahrtsysteme), Universität Stuttgart, Germany, established two highly flexible plasma environment simulation facilities. The facility at Baylor University and the associated research will be subject of this Paper. As hybrid facility it consists of an adjustable, inductively heated plasma generator (IPG) which can be coupled to a variety of systems allowing the introduction of the additional components (e.g. levitating or accelerating dust, UV light) necessary to accurately simulate a given plasma environment. Potential research for such a device includes investigations of dusty plasma effects on the surface of planets, moons and comets, interactions between dusty plasma and spacecraft materials and components, in-situ instrumentation development and testing as well as research and development for terrestrial applications such as the examination of the dust and heat fluxes in fusion reactors.