Abstract
Space plasmas are composed of charged particles that play a key role in
electromagnetic dynamics. However, to date, there has been no direct
measurement of the distribution of such charges in space. In this study,
three schemes for measuring charge densities in space are proposed. The
first scheme is based on electric field measurements by multiple
spacecraft. This method is applied to deduce the charge density
distribution within Earth’s magnetopause boundary layer using
Magnetospheric MultiScale constellation (MMS) 4-point measurements, and
indicates the existence of a charge separation there. The second and
third schemes proposed are both based on electric potential measurements
from multiple electric probes. The second scheme, which requires 10 or
more electric potential probes, can yield the net charge density to
first-order accuracy, while the third scheme, which makes use of seven
to eight specifically distributed probes, can give the net charge
density with second-order accuracy. The feasibility, reliability, and
accuracy of these three schemes are successfully verified for a
charged-ball model. These charge density measurement schemes could
potentially be applied in both space exploration and ground-based
laboratory experiments.