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Phase sorting wave‐particle correlator
Author(s) -
Kletzing C. A.,
LaBelle J.,
Bounds S. R.,
Dolan J.,
Kaeppler S. R.,
Dombrowski M.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9402
pISSN - 2169-9380
DOI - 10.1002/2016ja023334
Subject(s) - phase (matter) , electron , physics , langmuir probe , computational physics , rocket (weapon) , phase locked loop , resolution (logic) , plasma , optics , plasma diagnostics , nuclear physics , computer science , aerospace engineering , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence , engineering
Wave‐particle correlations, particularly of Langmuir waves and electrons, have been the subject of significant interest extending back to the 1970s. Often, these correlations have been simply observing modulation of the electrons at the plasma frequency with no phase resolution. The first phase‐resolving correlators were developed at UC Berkeley in the late 1980s and reported by Ergun in the early 1990s. A design is presented which further improves on phase resolution in correlations of Langmuir waves and electrons with phase resolution of 22.5°. In this technique, a phase‐locked loop (PLL) is used to lock onto the wave and subdivide the phase. Electrons are sorted on‐the‐fly as they arrive into the phase bins. Discussed are details of accurate timing, testing, and calibration of this system as well as results from rocket flights in which statistically significant phase correlations have been observed.