Analysis of Probe Characteristics in Drifting Plasma

Abstract

A new method is proposed to calculate the altitude profiles of positive ion density in the ionosphere from the ion current obtained by a rocket borne Langmuir probe.
For a spherical probe, moving relatively to a plasma, the form of ion sheath is deformed from the spherical one. It is assumed that the radius of the ion sheath perpendicular to the moving direction is equal to that of the probe at rest, for the forward sheath a rotating ellipsoid is applied, and in the backward the ordinary relation between the total current and the current density at the surface of sheath is used.
Positive ion densities of the ionosphere are determined by using above relations and observed total current. Good accordance of the calculated values with the simultaneous observations of the electron density at E-layer from h′−f curves will suggest the validity of the method.