title: Development of the nano-dust analyzer (NDA) for detection and compositional analysis of nanometer-size dust particles originating in the inner heliosphere.
abstract: A linear time-of-flight mass spectrometer is developed for the detection and chemical analysis of nanometer-sized particles originating near the Sun. Nano-dust particles are thought to be produced by mutual collisions between interplanetary dust particles slowly spiraling toward the Sun and are accelerated outward to high velocities by interaction with the solar wind plasma. The WAVES instruments on the two STEREO spacecraft reported the detection, strong temporal variation, and potentially high flux of these particles. Here we report on the optimization and the results from the detailed characterization of the instrument's performance using submicrometer sized dust particles accelerated to 8-60 km/s. The Nano Dust Analyzer (NDA) concept is derived from previously developed detectors. It has a 200 cm(2) effective target area and a mass resolution of approximately m/Δm = 50. The NDA instrument is designed to reliably detect and analyze nanometer-sized dust particles while being pointed close to the Sun's direction, from where they are expected to arrive. Measurements by such an instrument will determine the size-dependent flux of the nano-dust particles and its variations, it will characterize the composition of the nano-dust and, ultimately, it may determine their source. The flight version of the NDA instrument is estimated to be <5 kg and requires <10 W for operation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.affiliation: A&M Associates, Bayse, Virginia 22810, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Auer
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gemer
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grün
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Horanyi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Juhasz
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kempf
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Malaspina
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mocker
authors.affiliation: Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moebius
authors.affiliation: Institute of Space Systems, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Srama
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sternovsky