Neutral atom detection device suitable for wide energy range

Abstract

The application discloses a neutral atom detection device suitable for a wide energy range, which comprises: an ionization deflection system for ionizing neutral atoms incident from space into positively charged ions, capable of shielding charged particles incident from space, the ionization deflection system having a first detection channel and a second detection channel arranged at intervals along a first direction; the first detection channel and the second detection channel are both arranged as gaps formed by a set of oppositely arranged deflection plates; the voltage polarity of adjacent deflection plates between the two sets of deflection plates is the same; and an electrostatic analyzer comprising an outer hemisphere and an inner hemisphere, the outer hemisphere and the inner hemisphere having a third channel therebetween, the third channel being used for the deflection movement of the entering positively charged ions, and the voltage applied by the inner hemisphere being used for the energy analysis of the positively charged ions entering the third channel; the energy range of the neutral atoms suitable for detection by the first detection channel is below 5keV, and the energy range of the neutral atoms suitable for detection by the second detection channel is below 30keV.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application 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

[0002] There are charged ions and uncharged neutral atoms (ENA: Energetic Neutral Atom) everywhere in deep space of Earth space, interplanetary space and other planetary space of the solar system. The charged ions can become uncharged neutral atoms through charge exchange (receiving an electron). The 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 energy transfer physical mechanism in space. Therefore, the measurement of charged ion and neutral atom information in space can be used to study basic physical problems of interest to humans, such as how low-energy particles are accelerated to high-energy particles, how the sun affects the formation and dissipation of planetary atmospheres, etc. The solution to these problems helps humans understand and understand the unknown world, and also provides protection for the safe conduct of various space activities.

[0003] Neutral atoms are not charged and their motion is not affected by space electric and magnetic fields, and can be used to invert the state of a distant plasma region. Therefore, neutral atom detection as a remote sensing detection means is widely used in space environment detection and has achieved unique detection effects. Currently, the IMAGE space science satellite of the United States, the IBEX, the Mars Express of the European Space Agency, the JUICE, and the Tianwen-1 satellite project of China are all equipped with neutral atom detectors to carry out space neutral atom detection.

[0004] The general method for measuring neutral atoms at present is: first ionize the neutral atoms into charged ions, and then use the measurement method of charged ions for measurement. There are mainly two methods for ionization: grazing incidence ionization plate and penetrating ultra-thin film. The typical model of the grazing incidence ionization plate neutral atom detector is the Mars Ion and Neutral Particle Analyzer (MINPA) of China's Tianwen-1. MINPA integrates ion and neutral atom detection functions, and can detect neutral atoms of relatively low energy. The 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 of relatively high energy. As can be seen, the existing neutral atom detector has the disadvantage that it cannot realize the detection of neutral atoms in a wide energy range from low energy to high energy in one instrument. SUMMARY

[0005] The application aims to provide a neutral atom detection device suitable for a wide energy range, by setting a first detection channel suitable for ionizing neutral atoms in a low energy range and a second detection channel suitable for ionizing neutral atoms in a high energy range, effectively integrating the low-energy neutral atom detection channel and the high-energy neutral atom detection channel, so as to realize neutral atom detection in a wide energy range on one instrument and save the resource demand of the instrument.

[0006] The application provides a neutral atom detection device suitable for a wide energy range, comprising: an ionization and deflection system for ionizing neutral atoms incident from space into positively charged ions and capable of shielding charged particles incident from space, the ionization and 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 composed of a gap formed between a set of oppositely arranged deflection plates; the voltage polarity of adjacent deflection plates between the two sets of deflection plates is the same; an electrostatic analyzer comprising an outer hemisphere and an inner hemisphere, the outer hemisphere and the inner hemisphere having a third channel therebetween, the third channel being used for the deflection movement of positively charged ions entering the first detection channel and the second detection channel, and the voltage applied by the inner hemisphere being used for energy analysis of the positively charged ions entering the third channel; wherein the energy range of the neutral atoms suitable for detection by the first detection channel is below 5 keV, and the energy range of the neutral atoms suitable for detection by the second detection channel is below 30 keV; the first direction is substantially perpendicular to the direction of neutral atom incidence from space.

[0007] Further, the ionization and deflection system comprises: a first deflection plate and a second deflection plate, the first deflection plate and the second deflection plate being oppositely arranged and spaced apart along the first direction, the gap between the first deflection plate and the second deflection plate constituting the first detection channel; an ionization plate for ionizing 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 10-15 degrees, so that the neutral atoms introduced through the first detection channel have a grazing incidence angle with the surface of the ionization plate.

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

[0009] Further, the ionization and deflection system further comprises a third deflection plate and a fourth deflection plate, the third deflection plate and the fourth deflection plate are oppositely arranged along a first direction and are spaced apart, a gap between the third deflection plate and the fourth deflection plate forms 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 the same as that of the second deflection plate; the fourth deflection plate is arranged close to the electrostatic analyzer.

[0010] Further, the third deflection plate and the fourth deflection plate are provided with a carbon film layer at the other end away from the neutral atom incident port, the carbon film layer is perpendicular to the second detection channel, so as to realize the penetration of at least part of the neutral atoms entering the second detection channel through the carbon film layer, thereby ionizing at least part of the neutral atoms into positively charged ions.

[0011] Further, the neutral atom detection device further comprises a lens assembly between the ionization and deflection system and the electrostatic analyzer; the lens assembly comprises a first lens and a second lens, the first lens is between the second lens and the electrostatic analyzer; the first lens is connected to a positive voltage, and the second lens is connected to a negative voltage, so as to form an electric field distribution, 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] Further, the first lens and the second lens are both arranged in a cylindrical structure, and a fourth channel is arranged in the middle of the cylindrical structure; the fourth channel is used for guiding the positively charged ions entering through the first detection channel and the second detection channel to pass through; wherein the second detection channel and the fourth channel are arranged in a substantially horizontal alignment.

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

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

[0015] Further, the neutral atom detection device further comprises a time-of-flight system for generating a start point electric signal and an end point electric signal of ions output from the electrostatic analyzer in a fixed flight distance; and an electronic processing unit for processing the electric signals output by the time-of-flight system to obtain the direction, energy, density and composition information of the ions and the neutral atoms.

[0016] Further, the electrostatic analyzer further comprises a top cover for limiting the movement channel of the ions and assisting in guiding the ions into the third channel.

[0017] The above technical scheme of the present application has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0018] 1、In the embodiment of the present application, the first detection channel is configured to ionize neutral atoms in a low energy range, and the second detection channel is configured to ionize neutral atoms in a high energy range. The ions ionized by the first detection channel and the second detection channel converge and then enter the electrostatic analyzer. 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 time-of-flight of the ions in a fixed distance is measured. The time-of-flight data of the ions and the voltage data applied by the electrostatic analyzer are combined and calculated by the electronic processing unit, and the composition information of the ions is obtained. 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 and designed, and neutral atom detection in a wide energy range can be realized on one instrument, and the resource requirements of the instrument can be saved.

[0019] 2、In the embodiment of the present application, by setting the second lens and the first lens and configuring the voltage polarity, the ions of different energies ionized by the first detection channel and the second detection channel can be accelerated and effectively converged, and then enter the electrostatic analyzer.

[0020] 3、In the embodiment of the present application, the second detection channel is arranged at the same height as the fourth channel. The first detection channel can be arranged above or below the second detection channel to satisfy that the ions of low energy and high energy can effectively enter the third channel through the acceleration and convergence of the fourth channel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

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

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

[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, electronic processing unit; 50, satellite platform. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] To make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clear, the present invention will be described in further detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these descriptions are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In addition, in the following description, descriptions of well-known structures and technologies are omitted to avoid unnecessary confusion of the concepts of the present invention. In this article, terms such as first, second, and third are only used to distinguish one feature from another, and do not require or imply any order or relationship 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, the apparatus 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 is capable of shielding charged particles incident from space. The ionization deflection system comprises a first detection channel and a second detection channel spaced apart along a first direction. The first detection channel and the second detection channel are each formed by a gap formed by a set of opposing deflection plates. The voltage polarity of adjacent deflection plates in the two sets of deflection plates is set to be the same. The electrostatic analyzer comprises an outer hemisphere 19 and an inner hemisphere 18, with a third channel between the outer hemisphere 19 and the inner hemisphere 18. The third channel is used to deflect positively charged ions entering through the first and second detection channels. The voltage applied by the inner hemisphere 18 performs energy analysis on the positively charged ions entering the third channel. The first detection channel is suitable for detecting neutral atoms with an energy range below 5 keV, and the second detection channel is suitable for detecting neutral atoms with an energy range below 30 keV. The first direction is set to be approximately perpendicular to the direction of the neutral atoms 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. This is suitable for detecting neutral atoms in a low-energy range below 5keV.

[0028] The second detection channel is also a slit formed by a set of deflection plates, and a thin film layer can be provided at the other end of the deflection plates away from the entrance window, and the thin film layer can be perpendicular to the second detection channel to ionize part of the neutral atoms into positively charged ions. In addition, the second detection channel can also be formed by a penetrating ultrathin film structure, that is, the neutral atoms (ENA) are incident from the detection window, and the voltage applied by the electron suppression electrodes (Electron Suppression Electrodes) of the detection window forms a deflection electric field to deflect the ions (Ions) and electrons (Electrons) incident together with the neutral atoms, so as to avoid interference with the detection of the neutral atoms. After the neutral atoms pass through the collimator (Co11imator), they hit the ultrathin carbon 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 part of the neutral atoms can be effectively ionized into positively charged ions. Therefore, the second detection channel can be suitable for the detection of neutral atoms with an energy range of 30keV or higher, and the main reason is that the penetrating thin film layer requires sufficient energy, and neutral atoms with lower energy cannot penetrate the thin film.

[0029] In the embodiment of the present application, the neutral atom detection device can further include: a time-of-flight system 30 for generating a start point electric signal and an end point electric signal of ions output from the electrostatic analyzer within a fixed flight distance; an electronic processing unit 40 for processing the electric signal output by the time-of-flight system 30 to obtain the direction, energy, density and composition information of the ions and neutral atoms; and a housing, wherein the neutral atom detection device can be installed in the housing. Figure 1 The arrow direction shown in the figure is that the electric signal output by the time-of-flight system 30 is output to the electronic processing unit 40.

[0030] The ions ionized by the first detection channel and the second detection channel converge and enter the electrostatic analyzer, and the electrostatic analyzer is, for example, a toroidal electrostatic analyzer. The voltage applied by the inner hemisphere 18 of the electrostatic analyzer is used to analyze the energy of the positively charged ions entering the third channel. The ions passing through the slit of the electrostatic analyzer enter the time-of-flight system 30, and the time-of-flight of the ions within a fixed distance is measured. The flight time data of the ions and the voltage data applied by the electrostatic analyzer are combined and calculated by the electronic processing unit 40, and the composition information of the ions can be obtained. The composition information of the ions corresponds to the composition information of the incident neutral atoms. Therefore, the effective integration design of the low-energy neutral atom detection channel and the high-energy neutral atom detection channel can realize the detection of neutral atoms with a wide energy range on one instrument, and can save the resource demand of the instrument.

[0031] In some embodiments, the ionization and deflection system comprises: a first deflection plate 11 and a second deflection plate 12, which are oppositely arranged and spaced apart along a first direction, and a gap between the first deflection plate 11 and the second deflection plate 12 forms the first detection channel; an ionization plate 13 for ionizing the neutral atoms introduced through the first detection channel into positively charged ions; the plane of the ionization plate 13 is arranged at an angle of 10°-15° with the plane of the first deflection plate 11 or the second deflection plate 12, 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 oppositely arranged and spaced apart in parallel, and the first deflection plate 11 and the second deflection plate 12 can be loaded with voltages of opposite polarities, so that an electric field perpendicular to the plane of the first deflection plate 11 is formed in the first detection channel, and the charged particles incident with the neutral atoms are deflected so that the charged particles cannot pass through the first detection channel; in an exemplary embodiment, the plane of the ionization plate 13 is provided with an aluminum oxide film layer, 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 a highly smooth plane, and the plane can be coated with an aluminum oxide film layer. Therefore, by arranging a small gap between the first deflection plate 11 and the second deflection plate 12 to form the first detection channel, the direction of the incident neutral atoms can be limited to a range of about 15°, the plane of the ionization plate 13 is arranged at an angle of 10°-15° with the plane of the first deflection plate 11 or the second deflection plate 12, the neutral atoms passing through the first detection channel are at a grazing incidence angle with the surface of the ionization plate 13, interact with the aluminum oxide film layer, and part of the neutral atoms are ionized into positively charged ions. Because the energy loss and ionization efficiency of different energy neutral atoms 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 the neutral atoms interact with the ionization plate 13 at a grazing incidence angle; in this way, the first detection channel is suitable for detecting neutral atoms with an energy range of 10eV-5keV, while the energy range of the neutral atoms detected by the existing detector is usually 50ev-3keV, so the energy range of the neutral atoms suitable for detection by the existing detector is larger.

[0032] In some embodiments, the ionization and deflection system further comprises a third deflection plate 14 and a fourth deflection plate 15, which are oppositely arranged 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 arranged close to the second deflection plate 12, and the voltage polarity of the third deflection plate 14 is set to be the same as that of the second deflection plate 12; and the fourth deflection plate 15 is arranged close to the electrostatic analyzer. Specifically, the third deflection plate 14 and the fourth deflection plate 15 are oppositely arranged and spaced apart along the up-down direction, and the third deflection plate 14 and the fourth deflection plate 15 can be loaded with voltages of opposite polarities. The third deflection plate 14 can be arranged below the second deflection plate 12. In order to avoid the formation of a high electric field between electrodes of opposite polarities, which can 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 exemplary embodiments, the third deflection plate and the fourth deflection plate are provided with a carbon film layer at the other end 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 part of the neutral atoms entering the second detection channel to penetrate the carbon film layer, thereby ionizing at least part of the neutral atoms into positively charged ions; wherein the thickness of the carbon film layer is set to be 8-12 nm; preferably, the thickness of the film layer can be set to be 8 nm or 10 nm. Therefore, by setting the second detection channel to have a small 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 relatively small energy loss, and part of the neutral atoms are ionized into positively charged ions by the carbon film layer. Since the ionization efficiency of neutral atoms with higher energy interacting with the carbon film layer is lower, the second detection channel is suitable for detecting neutral atoms with an energy range of 1 keV-30 keV, while the energy range of neutral atoms detected by existing detectors is usually below 6 keV. Therefore, compared with the energy range of neutral atoms suitable for detection by existing detectors, the energy range of neutral atoms suitable for detection by the second detection channel has been greatly improved.

[0033] In some embodiments, the neutral atom detection device further comprises a lens assembly between the ionization deflection system and the electrostatic analyzer; the lens assembly comprises a first lens 16 and a second lens 17, the first lens 16 is between the second lens 17 and the electrostatic analyzer; the first lens 16 is connected to a positive voltage and the second lens 17 is connected to a negative voltage to form an electric field distribution that can accelerate and focus the positive ions entering through the first detection channel and the second detection channel to enter the third channel. In exemplary embodiments, the first lens 16 and the second lens 17 are both cylindrical structures, and a gap is provided in the middle of the cylindrical structure to form a fourth channel for guiding the positive ions entering through the first detection channel and the second detection channel. Specifically, the first lens 16 and the second lens 17 can be metal-processed cylinders, the first lens 16 is connected to a positive voltage and the second lens 17 is connected to a negative voltage to form an electric field distribution, and the positive ions ionized from the neutral atoms entering through the first detection channel and the second detection channel can pass through the second lens 17 and the first lens 16 in turn and then enter the electrostatic analyzer. By configuring the second lens 17 and the first lens 16 and the voltage polarity, the ions of different energies ionized from the first detection channel and the second detection channel can be accelerated and effectively converged to enter the electrostatic analyzer.

[0034] In some embodiments, the second detection channel and the fourth channel are substantially horizontally aligned. The ion energy of the neutral atoms entering through the first detection channel is low, and the ion energy of the neutral atoms entering 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 arranged at the same height as the fourth channel (i.e., the lens slit), and the first detection channel can be arranged above or below the second detection channel to ensure that the 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 a low-energy range, and the second detection channel is suitable for ionizing neutral atoms in a high-energy range. Preferably, the first detection channel is arranged above the second detection channel.

[0035] In some embodiments, the electrostatic analyzer further comprises a top cover 20 for limiting the movement channel of the ions and assisting in guiding the ions into the third channel. The top cover 20 can be fixedly connected to the shell.

[0036] The implementation and advantages of the embodiments of the present application are described above through multiple embodiments. The following refers to a specific example to describe a specific processing process of the embodiments of the present application in detail. Figure 1 The implementation and advantages of the embodiments of the present application are described above through multiple embodiments. The following refers to a specific example to describe a specific processing process of the embodiments of the present application in detail.

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

[0038] The neutral atom is incident from the side, first passing 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 be provided as circular ring-shaped thin plates processed from metal, and opposite polarities of voltage are applied to the first deflection plate 11 and the second deflection plate 12, respectively, so that an electric field perpendicular to the deflection plate plane is formed in the middle of the first deflection plate 11 and the second deflection plate 12, and charged particles incident with the neutral atom 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 limit the direction of the incident neutral atom to a range of about 15°. The neutral atom passing through the first detection channel hits the ionization plate 13. The angle between the plane of the ionization plate 13 and the deflection plate plane 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 atom and the surface of the ionization plate 13 are at a grazing incidence angle, and interact with the aluminum oxide film layer, and part of the neutral atoms are ionized into positively charged ions. Due to the different energy losses and ionization efficiencies of different energy neutral atoms interacting with the ionization plate 13, the neutral atom energy range that can be detected by the channel is about 10 eV to 5 keV.

[0039] 2. The neutral atom ionization process of the lower incident detection channel is as follows:

[0040] The neutral atom is incident from the side, first passing 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 provided as circular ring-shaped thin plates processed from metal, and opposite polarities of voltage are applied to the third deflection plate 14 and the fourth deflection plate 15, respectively, so that an electric field perpendicular to the deflection plate plane is formed in the middle of the third deflection plate 14 and the fourth deflection plate 15, and charged particles incident with the neutral atom are deflected, so that the charged particles cannot pass through the second detection channel. At the same time, the second detection channel can limit the direction of the incident neutral atom to a range of about 15°. In order to avoid high voltage discharge caused by the high electric field formed between the oppositely polarized electrodes, the voltage polarity of the third deflection plate 14 needs to be the same as that of the second deflection plate 12. On the inner side of the slit formed by the third deflection plate 14 and the fourth deflection plate 15, a layer of ultra-thin carbon film with a thickness of about 10 nm is covered, and the two ends of the carbon film can be connected with the ends of the third deflection plate 14 and the fourth deflection plate 15, and the carbon film can be provided perpendicular to the second detection channel. Neutral atoms with sufficiently high energy, such as neutral atoms with an energy of 1 keV or more, can effectively penetrate the carbon film with less energy loss, and part of them are ionized into positively charged ions by the carbon film. Since the ionization efficiency of neutral atoms with higher energy interacting with the carbon film is lower, the neutral atom energy detected by the 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 arranged in the middle of the cylinder to form a slit. The first lens 16 is applied with a positive voltage, and the second lens 17 is applied with a negative voltage, so as to form an electric field distribution for accelerating and focusing the ions with positive electricity. The ion energy of the first detection channel after ionization is low, and the ion is deflected by a large angle. The ion energy of the second detection channel after ionization is high, and the ion is deflected by a small angle. The second detection channel can be arranged to be horizontally aligned with the middle slit of the first lens 16 or the second lens 17, so that the ions of the upper and lower detection channels can be accelerated and focused by the voltages of the first lens 16 and the second lens 17 respectively, and then enter the toroidal electrostatic analyzer slit. The inner hemisphere 18 of the toroidal electrostatic analyzer is applied with a negative voltage, and the outer hemisphere 19 and the top cover 20 are grounded. The deflection electric field is formed between the inner hemisphere 18, the outer hemisphere 19 and the top cover 20, and the incident ions are deflected. The ion energy passing through the electrostatic analyzer slit is related to the voltage applied to the inner hemisphere 18. The ion passing through the electrostatic analyzer slit enters the time-of-flight system 30, measures the time-of-flight of the ion in a fixed distance, obtains the speed information of the ion, and combines the energy information measured by the electrostatic analyzer to obtain the mass (composition) information of the ion. The composition of the ion corresponds to the composition of the incident neutral atom. Among them, Figure 1 The green dotted line shown in the figure represents the incident path of the neutral atom, and the blue dotted line represents the path of the ion after ionization.

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

[0044] It should be understood that the above specific embodiments of the present application are only used for illustrative or explanatory purposes of the principles of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the present application. Therefore, any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application. In addition, the appended claims of the present application are intended to cover all changes and modifications falling within the scope and boundary of the appended claims, or the equivalent forms of such scope and boundary.

Claims

1. A neutral atom detection device suitable for a wide energy range, characterized in that: include: An ionization deflection system is configured to ionize neutral atoms incident from space into positively charged ions and to shield charged particles incident from space. The ionization deflection system comprises a first detection channel and a second detection channel spaced apart along a first direction. The first detection channel and the second detection channel are each formed by a gap formed between a set of oppositely disposed deflection plates. The voltage polarities of adjacent deflection plates in the two sets of deflection plates are configured to be the same. The ionization deflection system comprises: A first deflection plate and a second deflection plate are arranged opposite to each other and spaced apart along a first direction, wherein the gap between the first deflection plate and the second deflection plate constitutes the first detection channel; an ionization plate is 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; A third deflection plate and a fourth deflection plate are arranged opposite to each other and spaced apart along a first direction, with a gap between the third deflection plate and the fourth deflection plate constituting the second detection channel; a carbon film layer is provided on the other end of the third deflection plate and the fourth deflection plate away from the neutral atom entrance, the carbon film layer being perpendicular to the second detection channel so as to enable at least a portion of 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; 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 by applying a voltage to 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, 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.

3. The neutral atom detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: 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.

4. The neutral atom detection device according to claim 1, 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. 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.

5. The neutral atom detection device according to claim 4, 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 and the fourth channel are arranged to be substantially horizontally aligned.

6. The neutral atom detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickness of the carbon film layer is set to 8-12 nm.

7. The neutral atom detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, 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.

8. The neutral atom detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: 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; 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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