Compact thermal ion detector for space and laboratory applications

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Abstract
We have developed a new compact thermal ion sensor suitable for spaceflight or laboratory applications. The device is highly sensitive and has a wide dynamic range due to its use of a microchannel plate charge multiplier. It allows spatial variations in velocity and anisotropic temperatures to be measured in a flowing plasma stream using a segmented anode. It has a high rejection to solar UV due to the trajectories of the particles within the device. The device has been flight tested as part of the Charging Hazards and Wake Studies flight experiment and sample data from the flight are presented. We discuss interpretation of the output of the device including extracting the parallel and perpendicular temperatures and the flow energy of a plasma stream.