Plasma Parameters from Quasi-Thermal Noise Observed by Parker Solar
Probe: A New Model for the Antenna Response
Abstract
Quasi-Thermal Noise (QTN) spectroscopy is a reliable diagnostic
routinely used for measuring electron density and temperature in space
plasmas. The observed spectrum depends on both antenna geometry and
plasma kinetic properties. Parker Solar Probe (PSP), launched in 2018,
is equipped with an antenna system consisting of two linear dipoles with
a significant gap between the antenna arms. Such a configuration, not
utilized on previous missions, cannot be completely described by current
models of the antenna response function. In this work, we calculate the
current distribution and the corresponding response function for the PSP
antenna geometry, and use these results to generate synthetic QTN
spectra. Applying this model to the Encounter 7 observations from PSP
provides accurate estimations of electron density and temperature, which
are in very good agreement with particle analyzer measurements.