The IMAP Instruments (IMAGE)

Princeton University

The IMAP Instruments

Caption

The 10 instruments aboard the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe will investigate the heliosphere under the leadership of Princeton astrophysicist David McComas: IMAP-Lo, a single-pixel neutral atom imager mounted on a pivot platform, will measure low-energy (5-1000 eV) interstellar neutral atoms of hydrogen, helium, oxygen, neon and deuterium. IMAP-Hi has two single-pixel imagers that will measure mid-energy neutral atoms (0.4-15.6 keV) at 4° angular resolution. IMAP-Ultra's two identical imagers will use slit optics to cover three-quarters of the full celestial sphere with each spin. It will measure high-energy (3-300 keV) neutral atoms with 2° resolution. The Compact Dual Ion Composition Experiment (CoDICE) will measure the composition and movement of two broad energy ranges of ions simultaneously, to advance our understanding of particle acceleration in the heliosphere. The High-energy Ion Telescope (HIT) is a spectrometer that will inventory the charge, energy, orientation and mass of ions from hydrogen to nickel, to determine whether they originate in the solar wind or the interstellar medium. MAG, a pair of identical magnetometers, will measure the local interplanetary magnetic field and provide new insights into the waves and turbulence of the solar wind's plasma. The Solar Wind Electron (SWE) instrument will measure the 3-dimensional distribution of thermal and suprathermal electrons (1 eV-5 keV). SWE is optimized to detect in-situ solar wind electrons at L1 to understand the solar wind structures and provide context for the energetic neutral atom measurements. The Solar Wind and Pickup Ion (SWAPI) instrument, which Princeton's David McComas is the lead investigator for, will measure the solar wind ions as well as hydrogen and helium "pickup ions" from the interstellar medium. The Interstellar Dust Experiment (IDEX) will provide the first accurate in-situ measurements of the flux, size distribution and chemical composition of interstellar dust particles flowing through our solar system. The Global Solar Wind Structure (GLOWS) instrument will measure the ultraviolet glow from interstellar hydrogen and helium, providing ionization, radiation pressure and solar wind measurements and allowing scientists to map out the structure of the solar wind.

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Courtesy of the IMAP team

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