Solar Probe Analyser (SPAN) ion

The SPAN-Ai instrument uses curved plates to create electrostatic optics that sort incoming ions based on their energy-per-charge and utilizes segmented anodes and electrostatic deflectors to select particles based on their azimuthal and elevation angles. This allows each particle's velocity to be determined. SPAN-Ai alos has time-of-flight electrons that can measure the mass-to-charge ratio of the incoming ions.

• Sensor Type: Electrostatic Analyzer with Time-of-Flight
• Particles Measured: Positively charged ions
• Energy Range: TBD-30,000 V (proton speeds of TBD-2400 km/s)
• Spacecraft Placement: Ram-pointing
• Heritage Instruments: MAVEN/SWIA, THEMIS/ESA, and Wind/3DP
• Fun Fact: By using the time-of-flight electrons in addition to the energy/charge selection SPAN-Ai can unambiguously measure the proportion of helium nuclei compared to that of protons.

Acknowledgement to the NASA Parker Solar Probe Mission and the SWEAP team led by J.Kasper for use of data