Neutral atom detection device suitable for wide energy range

Abstract

The invention discloses a neutral atom detection device suitable for a wide energy range, and the device comprises an ionization deflection system which is used for ionizing neutral atoms incident from a space into positively charged ions, and can shield charged particles incident from the space, the ionization deflection system is provided with a first detection channel and a second detection channel which are arranged at an interval along a first direction; each of the first detection channel and the second detection channel is formed by a gap formed by a group of deflection plates which are oppositely arranged; the voltage polarities of the adjacent deflection plates between the two groups of deflection plates are set to be the same; the electrostatic analyzer comprises an outer hemisphere and an inner hemisphere, a third channel is arranged between the outer hemisphere and the inner hemisphere, the third channel is used for performing deflection motion on the entered positively charged ions, and the voltage applied by the inner hemisphere is used for performing energy analysis on the positively charged ions entering the third channel; the first detection channel is suitable for detecting a neutral atomic energy range of below 5keV, and the second detection channel is suitable for detecting a neutral atomic energy range of below 30keV.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of space environment detection, and in particular to a neutral atom detection device suitable for a wide energy range. Background Art

[0002] Charged ions and uncharged neutral atoms (ENA:Energetic Neutral Atom) exist everywhere in the Earth's space, interplanetary space, and deep space of other planets in the solar system. Charged ions can become uncharged neutral atoms through charge exchange (receiving an electron). Uncharged neutral atoms can also become charged ions through charge exchange (losing an electron). The charge exchange process between charged ions and neutral atoms reflects the basic physical mechanism of energy transfer in space. Therefore, the measurement of information on charged ions and neutral atoms in space can be used to study basic physical problems that humans are concerned about, such as how low-energy particles are accelerated to high-energy particles, how the sun affects the formation and dissipation of planetary atmospheres, and other issues. The solution to these problems will help humans to understand the unknown world and provide a guarantee for the safe development of various human space activities.

[0003] Neutral atoms are uncharged and their movement is not affected by the electric and magnetic fields in space. They can be used to invert the state of distant plasma regions. Therefore, neutral atom detection is widely used in space environment detection as a remote sensing detection method and has achieved unique detection effects. Currently, the United States' space science satellites IMAGE and IBEX, the European Space Agency's Mars Express, JUICE, and China's Tianwen-1 are equipped with neutral atom detectors to detect neutral atoms in space.

[0004] At present, the general method for measuring neutral atoms is: first ionize the neutral atoms into charged ions, and then use the measurement method of charged ions for measurement. There are two main methods of ionization: grazing incidence ionization plate and penetrating ultra-thin film. Typical representative models of grazing incidence ionization plate neutral atom detectors include China's Tianwen-1 Mars Ion and Neutral Particle Analyzer (MINPA). MINPA integrates the detection functions of ions and neutral atoms, which can detect neutral atoms with lower energy. A typical representative of the penetrating ultra-thin film neutral atom detector is the IBEX-Hi neutral atom detector of the IBEX satellite, which can detect neutral atoms with higher energy. It can be seen that the disadvantage of existing neutral atom detectors is that it is impossible to realize neutral atom detection in a wide energy range from low energy to high energy on one instrument. Summary of the invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a neutral atom detection device suitable for a wide energy range. By setting the first detection channel to be suitable for ionizing neutral atoms in a low energy range, and setting the second detection channel to be suitable for ionizing neutral atoms in a high energy range, the low-energy neutral atom detection channel and the high-energy neutral atom detection channel are effectively integrated, neutral atom detection in a wide energy range can be achieved on one instrument, and the resource requirements of the instrument can be saved.

[0006] An embodiment of the present invention provides a neutral atom detection device suitable for a wide energy range, comprising: an ionization deflection system, which is used to ionize neutral atoms incident from space into positively charged ions and can shield charged particles incident from space, the ionization deflection system has a first detection channel and a second detection channel arranged at intervals along a first direction; wherein the first detection channel and the second detection channel are both configured to be composed of a gap formed between a group of relatively arranged deflection plates; the voltage polarities of adjacent deflection plates between the two groups of deflection plates are configured to be the same; an electrostatic analyzer, which comprises an outer hemisphere and an inner hemisphere, and a third channel is provided between the outer hemisphere and the inner hemisphere, the third channel is used to deflect positively charged ions entering through the first detection channel and the second detection channel, and the voltage applied by the inner hemisphere performs energy analysis on the positively charged ions entering the third channel; wherein the first detection channel is applicable to detecting a neutral atom energy range of less than 5 keV, and the second detection channel is applicable to detecting a neutral atom energy range of less than 30 keV; the first direction is configured to be approximately perpendicular to the direction in which the neutral atoms are incident from space.

[0007] Furthermore, the ionization deflection system includes: a first deflection plate and a second deflection plate, the first deflection plate and the second deflection plate are arranged opposite to each other and spaced apart along a first direction, and the gap between the first deflection plate and the second deflection plate constitutes the first detection channel; an ionization plate, used to ionize neutral atoms introduced through the first detection channel into positively charged ions; the angle between the plane of the ionization plate and the plane of the first deflection plate or the second deflection plate is set to 10°-15°, so that the neutral atoms introduced through the first detection channel are at a grazing incidence angle with the surface of the ionization plate.

[0008] Furthermore, an aluminum oxide film layer is provided on the plane of the ionization plate, and the aluminum oxide film layer is located on a side of the ionization plate close to the first detection channel.

[0009] Furthermore, the ionization deflection system also includes: a third deflection plate and a fourth deflection plate, wherein the third deflection plate and the fourth deflection plate are arranged opposite to each other and spaced apart along a first direction, and the gap between the third deflection plate and the fourth deflection plate constitutes the second detection channel; wherein the third deflection plate is close to the second deflection plate, and the voltage polarity of the third deflection plate is set to be the same as the voltage polarity of the second deflection plate; and the fourth deflection plate is set to be close to the electrostatic analyzer.

[0010] Furthermore, a carbon film layer is provided at the other end of the third deflection plate and the fourth deflection plate away from the neutral atom incident port, and the carbon film layer is perpendicular to the second detection channel so as to enable at least a portion of the neutral atoms entering the second detection channel to penetrate the carbon film layer, thereby ionizing at least a portion of the neutral atoms into positively charged ions.

[0011] Furthermore, the neutral atom detection device also includes: a lens assembly, which is located between the ionization deflection system and the electrostatic analyzer; the lens assembly includes a first lens and a second lens, and the first lens is located between the second lens and the electrostatic analyzer; a positive voltage is applied to the first lens, and a negative voltage is applied to the second lens to form an electric field distribution, and the electric field distribution can accelerate and focus the positively charged ions entering through the first detection channel and the second detection channel to enter the third channel.

[0012] Furthermore, the first lens and the second lens are both configured as cylindrical structures, and a fourth channel is provided in the middle of the cylindrical structure; the fourth channel is used to guide the positively charged ions entering through the first detection channel and the second detection channel; wherein the second detection channel and the fourth channel are configured to be approximately horizontally aligned.

[0013] Furthermore, the thickness of the carbon film layer is set to 8-12 nm.

[0014] Furthermore, the first detection channel is suitable for detecting neutral atoms in the energy range of 10eV-5keV; the second detection channel is suitable for detecting neutral atoms in the energy range of 1keV-30keV.

[0015] Furthermore, the neutral atom detection device also includes: a time-of-flight system for generating a starting point electrical signal and an ending point electrical signal of ions output from the electrostatic analyzer within a fixed flight distance; and an electronics processing unit for processing the electrical signal output by the time-of-flight system to obtain the direction, energy, density and composition information of ions and neutral atoms.

[0016] Furthermore, the electrostatic analyzer also includes a top cover, which is used to limit the movement channel of ions and assist in introducing ions into the third channel.

[0017] The above technical solution of the present invention has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0018] 1. In an embodiment of the present invention, the first detection channel is set to be suitable for ionizing neutral atoms in a low energy range, and the second detection channel is set to be suitable for ionizing neutral atoms in a high energy range. The ions ionized by the first detection channel and the second detection channel converge and enter the electrostatic analyzer, and the positively charged ions entering the third channel are subjected to energy analysis; the ions passing through the slit of the electrostatic analyzer enter the time-of-flight system, and the flight time of the ions within a fixed distance is measured. The electronic processing unit combines the flight time data of the ions with the voltage data applied by the electrostatic analyzer to calculate and obtain the composition information of the ions, and the composition information of the ions corresponds to the composition information of the incident neutral atoms; therefore, the low-energy neutral atom detection channel and the high-energy neutral atom detection channel are effectively integrated, so that neutral atom detection in a wide energy range can be achieved on one instrument, and the resource requirements of the instrument can be saved.

[0019] 2. In the embodiment of the present invention, by setting the second lens and the first lens and configuring the voltage polarity, it can be ensured that the ions with different energies after ionization in the first detection channel and the second detection channel are accelerated and effectively converged before entering the electrostatic analyzer.

[0020] 3. In the embodiment of the present invention, by setting the second detection channel at the same height as the fourth channel, the first detection channel can be set above or below the second detection channel to ensure that both low-energy and high-energy ions can effectively enter the third channel through acceleration and convergence of the fourth channel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a neutral atom detection device applicable to a wide energy range according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the positional relationship of a neutral atom detection device suitable for a wide energy range installed on a satellite platform according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Reference numerals:

[0024] 10. Neutral atom detection device; 11. First deflection plate; 12. Second deflection plate; 13. Ionization plate; 14. Third deflection plate; 15. Fourth deflection plate; 16. First lens; 17. Second lens; 18. Inner hemisphere; 19. Outer hemisphere; 20. Top cover; 30. Time of flight system; 40. Electronics processing unit; 50. Satellite platform. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these descriptions are exemplary only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In addition, in the following description, descriptions of known structures and technologies are omitted to avoid unnecessary confusion of the concept of the present invention. In this article, terms such as first, second, third, etc. are only used to distinguish one feature from another feature, and do not require or imply any order or association between these features.

[0026] The embodiment of the present invention provides a neutral atom detection device applicable to a wide energy range, such as Figure 1 As shown, it may include an ionization deflection system and an electrostatic analyzer. The ionization deflection system is used to ionize neutral atoms incident from space into positively charged ions and can shield charged particles incident from space. The ionization deflection system has a first detection channel and a second detection channel spaced along a first direction; wherein the first detection channel and the second detection channel are both configured to be formed by a gap formed by a group of deflection plates arranged oppositely; the voltage polarities of adjacent deflection plates between the two groups of deflection plates are configured to be the same; an electrostatic analyzer, which includes an outer hemisphere 19 and an inner hemisphere 18, and a third channel is provided between the outer hemisphere 19 and the inner hemisphere 18, wherein the third channel is used to deflect positively charged ions entering through the first detection channel and the second detection channel, and the voltage applied by the inner hemisphere 18 is used to perform energy analysis on the positively charged ions entering the third channel; wherein the first detection channel is suitable for detecting neutral atoms with an energy range of less than 5keV, and the second detection channel is suitable for detecting neutral atoms with an energy range of less than 30keV; the first direction is set to be substantially perpendicular to the direction in which neutral atoms are incident from space.

[0027] Specifically, the first direction is, for example, the vertical direction, and the first detection channel and the second detection channel are set to be spaced apart from each other. The first detection channel is, for example, a slit formed by a group of deflection plates, that is, neutral atoms are incident from the side detection window, pass through the slit formed by a group of deflection plates, and hit the ionization plate at grazing incidence. A high voltage is applied to the group of deflection plates to form a deflection electric field, which deflects the charged particles incident together with the neutral atoms to avoid interference with the detection of neutral atoms. Neutral atoms hit the ionization plate at a grazing incidence angle of 15°, and some of the neutral atoms are ionized into positively charged ions, which can be used for the detection of neutral atoms in the low energy range below 5keV.

[0028] The second detection channel is also a slit formed by a group of deflection plates, and a thin film layer may be provided at the other end of the deflection plate away from the incident port, and the thin film layer may be perpendicular to the second detection channel to ionize some neutral atoms into positively charged ions; in addition, the second detection channel may adopt a penetrating ultra-thin film structure, that is, neutral atoms (ENA) are incident from the detection window, and the suppression electrodes (Electron Suppression Electrodes) of the detection window apply voltage to form a deflection electric field, which deflects the ions (Ions) and electrons (Electrons) incident with the neutral atoms to avoid interference with the detection of neutral atoms. After passing through the collimator (Co11imator), the neutral atoms hit the ultra-thin film (U1trathin Carbon Foi1), and the thickness of the thin film layer is about 3-15nm. Preferably, the thickness of the thin film layer can be set to 5nm or 8nm, so that some neutral atoms can be effectively ionized into positively charged ions. Therefore, the second detection channel can be applied to the detection of neutral atoms with higher energy in the neutral atom energy range below 30keV. The main reason is that sufficient energy is required to penetrate the thin film layer, and neutral atoms with lower energy cannot penetrate the thin film.

[0029] In an embodiment of the present invention, the neutral atom detection device may further include: a time-of-flight system 30, used to generate a starting point electrical signal and an ending point electrical signal of ions output from an electrostatic analyzer within a fixed flight distance; an electronics processing unit 40, used to process the electrical signal output by the time-of-flight system 30 to obtain the direction, energy, density and composition information of ions and neutral atoms; and a shell; the neutral atom detection device may be installed in the shell. Figure 1 The direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 4 is the direction in which the electrical signal output by the time-of-flight system 30 is output to the electronic processing unit 40 .

[0030] After ionization through the first detection channel and the second detection channel, the ions converge and enter the electrostatic analyzer, which is, for example, a toroidal electrostatic analyzer. The voltage applied by the inner hemisphere 18 of the electrostatic analyzer performs energy analysis on the positively charged ions entering the third channel. The ions passing through the slit of the electrostatic analyzer enter the flight time system 30, which measures the flight time of the ions within a fixed distance. The electronic processing unit 40 combines the flight time data of the ions with the voltage data applied by the electrostatic analyzer to calculate and obtain the composition information of the ions. The composition information of the ions corresponds to the composition information of the incident neutral atoms. Therefore, by effectively integrating the low-energy neutral atom detection channel with the high-energy neutral atom detection channel, neutral atom detection in a wide energy range can be achieved on one instrument, and the resource requirements of the instrument can be saved.

[0031] In some embodiments, the ionization deflection system includes: a first deflection plate 11 and a second deflection plate 12, wherein the first deflection plate 11 and the second deflection plate 12 are arranged opposite to each other and spaced apart along a first direction, and the gap between the first deflection plate 11 and the second deflection plate 12 constitutes the first detection channel; an ionization plate 13, used to ionize neutral atoms introduced through the first detection channel into positively charged ions; the angle between the plane of the ionization plate 13 and the plane of the first deflection plate 11 or the second deflection plate 12 is set to 10°-15°, so that the neutral atoms introduced through the first detection channel are at a grazing incidence angle with the surface of the ionization plate 13. Specifically, the first deflection plate 11 and the second deflection plate 12 can be arranged in a spaced relationship in parallel with each other up and down, and voltages of opposite polarities can be applied to the first deflection plate 11 and the second deflection plate 12, so that an electric field perpendicular to the plane of the first deflection plate 11 is formed in the first detection channel, and charged particles incident with neutral atoms are deflected so that the charged particles cannot pass through the first detection channel; in an exemplary embodiment, an aluminum oxide film layer is provided on the plane of the ionization plate 13, and the aluminum oxide film layer is located on the side of the ionization plate 13 close to the first detection channel. The plane of the ionization plate 13 can be set as a highly smooth plane, and the plane can be plated with an aluminum oxide film layer. Therefore, by setting the first detection channel formed by the small gap between the first deflection plate 11 and the second deflection plate 12, the direction of the incident neutral atoms can be limited to a range of about 15°, and the angle between the plane of the ionization plate 13 and the plane of the first deflection plate 11 or the second deflection plate 12 is set to 10°-15°. The neutral atoms passing through the first detection channel are at a grazing incidence angle with the surface of the ionization plate 13, and interact with the aluminum oxide film layer, and some neutral atoms are ionized into positively charged ions. Since the energy loss and ionization efficiency of neutral atoms with different energies interacting with the ionization plate 13 are different, the higher the energy of the neutral atoms, the greater the energy loss and the lower the detection efficiency when interacting with the ionization plate 13 at grazing incidence; thus, the first detection channel is suitable for detecting neutral atoms in the energy range of 10eV-5keV, while the neutral atoms detected by the existing detectors are usually in the energy range of 50ev-3keV, so the neutral atoms are suitable for detecting a larger energy range than the existing detectors.

[0032] In some embodiments, the ionization deflection system further includes: a third deflection plate 14 and a fourth deflection plate 15, wherein the third deflection plate 14 and the fourth deflection plate 15 are arranged oppositely and spaced apart along the first direction, and the gap between the third deflection plate 14 and the fourth deflection plate 15 constitutes the second detection channel; wherein the third deflection plate 14 is close to the second deflection plate 12, and the voltage polarity of the third deflection plate 14 is set to be the same as the voltage polarity of the second deflection plate 12; and the fourth deflection plate 15 is set to be close to the electrostatic analyzer. Specifically, the third deflection plate 14 and the fourth deflection plate 15 are arranged oppositely and spaced apart in parallel along the upper and lower sides, and the third deflection plate 14 and the fourth deflection plate 15 can be loaded with voltages of opposite polarities, and the third deflection plate 14 can be arranged below the second deflection plate 12. In order to avoid the high electric field formed between the electrodes of opposite polarities and cause high voltage discharge, the voltage polarities of the third deflection plate 14 and the second deflection plate 12 can be set to be the same. In an exemplary embodiment, a carbon film layer is provided at the other end of the third deflection plate and the fourth deflection plate away from the neutral atom incident port, and the carbon film layer is perpendicular to the second detection channel to enable at least a portion of the neutral atoms entering the second detection channel to penetrate the carbon film layer, thereby ionizing at least a portion of the neutral atoms into positively charged ions; wherein the thickness of the carbon film layer is set to 8-12nm; preferably, the thickness of the thin film layer can be set to 8nm or 10nm, so that by setting a second detection channel formed by a smaller gap between the third deflection plate 14 and the fourth deflection plate 15, the direction of the incident neutral atoms can be limited to a range of about 15°, and neutral atoms with sufficiently high energy can effectively penetrate the carbon film layer with less energy loss, and some of them are ionized into positively charged ions by the carbon film layer. Since higher-energy neutral atoms have lower ionization efficiency when interacting with the carbon film layer, the second detection channel is suitable for detecting neutral atoms in the energy range of 1keV-30keV, while the neutral atom energy range detected by existing detectors is generally below 6keV. Therefore, the neutral atom energy range that is suitable for detection by existing detectors is significantly improved.

[0033] In some embodiments, the neutral atom detection device further includes: a lens assembly, which is located between the ionization deflection system and the electrostatic analyzer; the lens assembly includes a first lens 16 and a second lens 17, and the first lens 16 is located between the second lens 17 and the electrostatic analyzer; a positive voltage is applied to the first lens 16, and a negative voltage is applied to the second lens 17 to form an electric field distribution, and the electric field distribution can accelerate and focus the positively charged ions entering through the first detection channel and the second detection channel to enter the third channel. In an exemplary embodiment, the first lens 16 and the second lens 17 are both configured as cylindrical structures, and a gap is provided in the middle of the cylindrical structure, and the gap can constitute a fourth channel; the fourth channel is used to guide the positively charged ions entering through the first detection channel and the second detection channel. Specifically, the first lens 16 and the second lens 17 can be set as metal-processed cylinders. A positive voltage is applied to the first lens 16 and a negative voltage is applied to the second lens 17 to form an electric field distribution. The positively charged ions after the neutral atoms are ionized through the first detection channel and the second detection channel can pass through the second lens 17 and the first lens 16 in sequence and then enter the electrostatic analyzer. In this way, by setting the second lens 17 and the first lens 16 and configuring the voltage polarity, it can be ensured that the ions with different energies after ionization in the first detection channel and the second detection channel are accelerated and effectively converged before entering the electrostatic analyzer.

[0034] In some embodiments, the second detection channel is roughly horizontally aligned with the fourth channel. The ion energy of the incident neutral atom after ionization through the first detection channel is low, and the ion energy after ionization through the second detection channel is high. Under the same lens voltage, the low-energy ions are deflected at a larger angle, so the second detection channel can be set at the same height as the fourth channel (i.e., the lens slit), so that the first detection channel can be set above or below the second detection channel to meet the requirements that both low-energy and high-energy ions can effectively enter the third channel through the fourth channel. The first detection channel is suitable for ionizing neutral atoms in the low energy range, and the second detection channel is suitable for ionizing neutral atoms in the high energy range. Preferably, the first detection channel can be set above the second detection channel.

[0035] In some embodiments, the electrostatic analyzer further comprises a top cover 20, which is used to limit the movement channel of ions and assist in introducing ions into the third channel. The top cover 20 can be arranged to be connected and fixed to the housing.

[0036] The above describes the implementation methods and advantages of the embodiments of the present application through multiple embodiments. Figure 1 In combination with a specific example, a specific processing process of an embodiment of the present invention is described in detail.

[0037] 1. The ionization process of neutral atoms incident on the upper detection channel is as follows:

[0038] Neutral atoms are incident from the side and first pass through the slit formed by the first deflection plate 11 and the second deflection plate 12, i.e., the first detection channel. The first deflection plate 11 and the second deflection plate 12 can both be set as annular thin plates processed by metal. Voltages of opposite polarity are applied to the first deflection plate 11 and the second deflection plate 12, respectively, so that an electric field perpendicular to the plane of the deflection plate can be formed between the first deflection plate 11 and the second deflection plate 12, and the charged particles incident with the neutral atoms are deflected so that the charged particles cannot pass through the first detection channel formed between the first deflection plate 11 and the second deflection plate 12. At the same time, the first detection channel can impose certain restrictions on the direction of the incident neutral atoms, and the direction of the incident neutral atoms is limited to a range of about 15°. The neutral atoms passing through the first detection channel hit the ionization plate 13. The angle between the plane of the ionization plate 13 and the plane of the deflection plate is about 10°-15°. The plane of the ionization plate 13 is a highly smooth plane, and the plane is coated with an aluminum oxide film. The neutral atoms are at a grazing incidence angle with the surface of the ionization plate 13, interacting with the aluminum oxide film layer, and some of the neutral atoms are ionized into positively charged ions. Due to the different energy losses and ionization efficiencies of neutral atoms with different energies interacting with the ionization plate 13, the energy range of neutral atoms that can be detected by this channel is about 10eV to 5keV.

[0039] 2. The ionization process of neutral atoms in the detection channel under incident light is as follows:

[0040] Neutral atoms are incident from the side and first pass through the slit formed by the third deflection plate 14 and the fourth deflection plate 15, i.e., the second detection channel. The third deflection plate 14 and the fourth deflection plate 15 are both configured as annular thin plates processed from metal, on which voltages of opposite polarities are respectively loaded, so that an electric field perpendicular to the plane of the deflection plates is formed between the third deflection plate 14 and the fourth deflection plate 15, deflecting the charged particles incident with the neutral atoms so that the charged particles cannot pass through the second detection channel. At the same time, the second detection channel can impose certain restrictions on the direction of the incident neutral atoms, limiting the direction of the incident neutral atoms to a range of about 15°. In order to avoid the high electric field formed between electrodes of opposite polarity, causing high-voltage discharge, the voltage polarity of the third deflection plate 14 must be the same as the voltage polarity of the second deflection plate 12. The inner side of the slit formed by the third deflection plate 14 and the fourth deflection plate 15 is covered with an ultra-thin carbon film with a thickness of about 10 nm. The two ends of the carbon film can be connected to the ends of the third deflection plate 14 and the fourth deflection plate 15, and the carbon film can be set to be perpendicular to the second detection channel. Neutral atoms with sufficiently high energy, such as neutral atoms with energy above 1 keV, can effectively penetrate the carbon film with less energy loss, and some are ionized by the carbon film into positively charged ions. Since the higher the energy of neutral atoms, the lower the ionization efficiency of the interaction with the carbon film, the energy of neutral atoms detected by this detection channel is about 1 keV-30 keV.

[0041] 3. The analysis process of the ionized ions is as follows:

[0042] The first lens 16 and the second lens 17 are respectively set as metal-processed cylinders, and a gap is provided in the middle of the cylinder to form a slit. A positive voltage is applied to the first lens 16 and a negative voltage is applied to the second lens 17 to form an electric field distribution for accelerating and focusing positively charged ions. The energy of the ions after ionization in the first detection channel is low and is deflected at a larger angle, while the energy of the ions after ionization in the second detection channel is high and is deflected at a smaller angle. The second detection channel can be set to be horizontally aligned with the middle slit of the first lens 16 or the second lens 17, so that the ions in the upper and lower detection channels can be accelerated and focused by the voltage of the first lens 16 and the second lens 17 respectively and then enter the slit of the toroidal electrostatic analyzer. A negative voltage is applied to the inner hemisphere 18 of the toroidal electrostatic analyzer, and the outer hemisphere 19 and the top cover 20 are grounded. A deflection electric field is formed between the inner hemisphere 18, the outer hemisphere 19 and the top cover 20 to deflect the incident ions. Among them, the energy of the ions passing through the slit of the electrostatic analyzer is related to the voltage applied to the inner hemisphere 18. The ions passing through the slit of the electrostatic analyzer enter the flight time system 30, and the flight time of the ions within a fixed distance is measured to obtain the velocity information of the ions. Combined with the energy information measured by the electrostatic analyzer, the mass (composition) information of the ions can be given. The composition of the ions corresponds to the composition of the incident neutral atoms. Among them, Figure 1 The green dashed line shown in the figure represents the incident path of the neutral atom, and the blue dashed line represents the path of the ion after ionization.

[0043] Please refer to Figure 2 , shows the installation position of the neutral atom detection device 10 provided in an embodiment of the present invention on the satellite platform 50. The upper part of the electrostatic analyzer is located outside the satellite platform 50. The detection window is kept as far away from the satellite surface as possible to reduce the interference of the charging and discharging effects on the satellite surface on the measurement. The electronic processing unit 40 can be set inside the cabin of the satellite platform 50 to facilitate the control of the working environment.

[0044] It should be understood that the above specific embodiments of the present invention are only used to illustrate or explain the principles of the present invention, and do not constitute a limitation of the present invention. Therefore, any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. In addition, the appended claims of the present invention are intended to cover all changes and modifications that fall within the scope and boundaries of the appended claims, or the equivalent forms of such scope and boundaries.

Claims

1. A neutral atom detection device suitable for a wide energy range, It is characterized in that include: An ionization deflection system, which is used to ionize neutral atoms incident from space into positively charged ions and can shield charged particles incident from space, the ionization deflection system having a first detection channel and a second detection channel spaced apart along a first direction; wherein the first detection channel and the second detection channel are both configured to be formed by a gap formed between a group of oppositely disposed deflection plates; and the voltage polarities of adjacent deflection plates between the two groups of deflection plates are configured to be the same; An electrostatic analyzer, comprising an outer hemisphere and an inner hemisphere, wherein a third channel is provided between the outer hemisphere and the inner hemisphere, wherein the third channel is used to deflect positively charged ions entering through the first detection channel and the second detection channel, and to perform energy analysis on the positively charged ions entering the third channel through a voltage applied by the inner hemisphere; wherein, The first detection channel is suitable for detecting neutral atoms with an energy range of less than 5 keV, and the second detection channel is suitable for detecting neutral atoms with an energy range of less than 30 keV; The first direction is set to be substantially perpendicular to the direction in which neutral atoms are incident from space.

2. The neutral atom detection device according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The ionization deflection system comprises: a first deflection plate and a second deflection plate, wherein the first deflection plate and the second deflection plate are arranged opposite to each other and spaced apart along a first direction, and a gap between the first deflection plate and the second deflection plate constitutes the first detection channel; The ionization plate is used to ionize the neutral atoms introduced through the first detection channel into positively charged ions; the angle between the plane of the ionization plate and the plane of the first deflection plate or the second deflection plate is set to 10°-15°, so that the neutral atoms introduced through the first detection channel are at a grazing incidence angle with the surface of the ionization plate.

3. The neutral atom detection device according to claim 2, It is characterized in that An aluminum oxide film layer is provided on the plane of the ionization plate, and the aluminum oxide film layer is located on a side of the ionization plate close to the first detection channel.

4. The neutral atom detection device according to claim 3, It is characterized in that The ionization deflection system further comprises: A third deflection plate and a fourth deflection plate, wherein the third deflection plate and the fourth deflection plate are arranged opposite to each other and spaced apart along a first direction, and a gap between the third deflection plate and the fourth deflection plate constitutes the second detection channel; wherein, The third deflection plate is close to the second deflection plate, and the voltage polarity of the third deflection plate is set to be the same as the voltage polarity of the second deflection plate; The fourth deflection plate is disposed close to the electrostatic analyzer.

5. The neutral atom detection device according to claim 4, It is characterized in that The other end of the third deflection plate and the fourth deflection plate away from the neutral atom incident port is provided with a carbon film layer, and the carbon film layer is perpendicular to the second detection channel so as to enable at least a part of the neutral atoms entering the second detection channel to penetrate the carbon film layer, thereby ionizing at least a part of the neutral atoms into positively charged ions.

6. The neutral atom detection device according to claim 4, It is characterized in that Also includes: a lens assembly located between the ionization deflection system and the electrostatic analyzer; the lens assembly comprising a first lens and a second lens, the first lens being located between the second lens and the electrostatic analyzer; A positive voltage is applied to the first lens, and a negative voltage is applied to the second lens to form an electric field distribution, which can accelerate and focus the positively charged ions entering through the first detection channel and the second detection channel to enter the third channel.

7. The neutral atom detection device according to claim 6, It is characterized in that The first lens and the second lens are both configured as cylindrical structures, and a fourth channel is provided on the cylindrical structure; the fourth channel is used to guide the positively charged ions entering through the first detection channel and the second detection channel; wherein, The second detection channel is arranged to be substantially horizontally aligned with the fourth channel.

8. The neutral atom detection device according to claim 5, It is characterized in that The thickness of the carbon film layer is set to 8-12 nm.

9. The neutral atom detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, It is characterized in that The first detection channel is suitable for detecting neutral atoms in the energy range of 10eV-5keV; The second detection channel is suitable for detecting neutral atoms in the energy range of 1keV-30keV.

10. The neutral atom detection device according to claim 1, It is characterized in that Also includes: A time-of-flight system, used to generate a starting point electrical signal and an ending point electrical signal of ions output from the electrostatic analyzer within a fixed flight distance; The electronics processing unit is used to process the electrical signals output by the time-of-flight system to obtain the direction, energy, density and composition information of ions and neutral atoms.

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