Development of a COmpact Rapid Electron (CORE) Instrument (CORE)

Turbulence is a ubiquitous process in plasma physics. It is responsible for cascading energy injected at fluid scales, down to smaller kinetic scales, where it can be more efficiently transferred to charged particles. Turbulence therefore provides a fundamental mechanism for heating in collisionless plasmas throughout the universe. The underlying physics of this cascade and subsequent particle heating processes are still hotly debated, as measurements of the detailed plasma properties at electron scales have been difficult to obtain. Even the state-of-the-art plasma measurements from NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission are not sensitive enough to fully resolve key features in the solar wind electron distribution function. The science objectives discussed here directly address the NASA Heliophysics Science Goal: “Explore the physical processes in the space environment from the Sun to the Earth and throughout the Solar System” as defined in the NASA 2014 Science Plan.

We propose to develop a COmpact Rapid Electron (CORE) instrument capable of providing high temporal resolution and high sensitivity measurements of solar wind electrons. CORE will unlock unprecedented observations of electron-scale plasma physics, providing faster-than-MMS particle data in a CubeSat form-factor. CORE is a microchannel-plate-based (MCP) Faraday cup, where a single MCP plate is added ahead of a solid anode to achieve orders of magnitude increase in sensitivity over existing sensors. Building upon recent successful lab measurements of a single MCP plate, we propose to develop a form-fit-and-function prototype instrument (TRL 6) capable of being proposed for future heliophysics missions.

Support NASA's Heliophysics strategic science objectives to understand the Sun and its interactions with Earth and the solar system, including space weather. This will be achieved by developing/demonstrating instrumentation technology necessary to address the following science goals: Explore the physical processes in the space environment from the Sun to the Earth and throughout the solar system; Advance our understanding of the connections that link the Sun, the Earth, planetary space environments, and the outer reaches of our solar system; Develop the knowledge and capability to detect and predict extreme conditions in space to protect life and society and to safeguard human and robotic explorers beyond Earth.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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