title: The SupraThermal Ion Monitor for space weather predictions.
abstract: Measurement of suprathermal energy ions in the heliosphere has always been challenging because (1) these ions are situated in the energy regime only a few times higher than the solar wind plasma, where intensities are orders of magnitude higher and (2) ion energies are below or close to the threshold of state-of-art solid-state detectors. Suprathermal ions accelerated at coronal mass ejection-driven shocks propagate out ahead of the shocks. These shocks can cause geomagnetic storms in the Earth's magnetosphere that can affect spacecraft and ground-based power and communication systems. An instrument with sufficient sensitivity to measure these ions can be used to predict the arrival of the shocks and provide an advance warning for potentially geo-effective space weather. In this paper, we present a novel energy analyzer concept, the Suprathermal Ion Monitor (STIM) that is designed to measure suprathermal ions with high sensitivity. We show results from a laboratory prototype and demonstrate the feasibility of the concept. A list of key performances is given, as well as a discussion of various possible detectors at the back end. STIM is an ideal candidate for a future space weather monitor in orbit upstream of the near-earth environment, for example, around L1. A scaled-down version is suitable for a CubeSat mission. Such a platform allows proofing the concept and demonstrating its performance in the space environment.
authors.affiliation: Southwest Research Institute, P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, Texas 78228, USA and Physics and Astronomy Department, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USA.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Allegrini
authors.affiliation: Southwest Research Institute, P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, Texas 78228, USA and Physics and Astronomy Department, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USA.
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Desai
authors.affiliation: Southwest Research Institute, P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, Texas 78228, USA and Physics and Astronomy Department, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Livi
authors.affiliation: Southwest Research Institute, P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, Texas 78228, USA and Physics and Astronomy Department, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USA.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: McComas
authors.affiliation: Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, Maryland 20723, USA.
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Ho