Abstract:
The magnetic field of Jupiter is very strong, and the related plasma environment may have a serious surface charging effect on the Jupiter detectors. In this paper, the surface charging phenomenon of the spacecraft in Jupiter plasma environment is simulated by the COMSOL software based on the finite element method. The result is verified by comparing with those of the NASCAP-2k and the SPIS software with regard to the GEO plasma environment. It is further shown that in the Jovian background plasma environment, the surface potentials of the spacecraft can be reduced to an average of -80 V; while in the Jovian auroral environment, the maximum surface potentials of the spacecraft can be as high as -36.7 kV, and the maximum differential potential between CERS and other materials can reach up to -16 kV, with very high risk of discharging.