Microparticle acceleration for hypervelocity experiments by a 3.75MV Van de Graaff accelerator and a 100kV electrostatic accelerator in Japan

In-situ dust detectors have been calibrated by dust electrostatic accelerators that can accelerate projectiles to expected mass and velocity ranges of space debris and micrometeoroids. Unfortunately, In Japan, there was no such a facility dedicated to space science research until our research group was established a few years ago. Therefore, we have developed two high voltage accelerators. One is a modified 3.75MV Van do Graaff accelerator operated by High Fluence Irradiation Facility, Research Center for Nuclear Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo (HIT), and the other is a 100kV accelerator dedicated to dust experiment at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS). The particle velocity using the HIT Van do Graaff accelerator is higher than those reported in other accelerator facilities under the same particle mass conditions and encompasses the desired velocity range of micro-metooroid. Time-Of-Flight dust mass spectrometer and Hybrid dust detector which are under development in Japan have been investigated using HIT dust accelerators. We have also constructed a 100kV electrostatic accelerator designed for easier handling and lower cost operation which is dedicated to dust acceleration, because the HIT Van do Graaff accelerator is being used for ion beam experiments mainly. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.