Research on Space Dust Charge Detection and Ground Test Technology

To meet the requirements of a large field of view, low power consumption and high-sensitivity charge detector for on-orbit detection of space dust, this paper designs and develops a dust charge detector based on the principle of non-contact charge induction. The detector adopts a metal mesh as the induction electrode with a large effective detection area to ensure a wide field of view, is matched with a high-gain charge-sensitive amplifier to improve detection sensitivity, and uses an insulating support structure and a shielding mesh to effectively suppress electromagnetic interference and background noise, ensuring stable operation in complex space environments. Based on the hypervelocity dust accelerator of the space environment simulation research infrastructure （SESRI）, a full-process test and calibration method is established, covering basic electronic testing, simulated induced charge measurement of the whole detector, and calibration in the ground-based high-speed dust simulation environment to verify the detector’s performance comprehensively. A total of 150 Fe dust particles （with particle sizes ranging from 10 nm to 1 μm and a maximum velocity of 9 km/s） are measured and calibrated using the hypervelocity dust accelerator. The results show that the output voltage of the designed detector has a good linear relationship with the dust charge in the range of 1～100 fC, and the calculated measurement error is within ±5%. The detector and its calibration method provide a feasible technical solution for in-situ charge measurement and joint detection triggering of deep space dust in the future, laying a solid foundation for subsequent on-orbit detection missions.