Development of the ultra-slim magnetometer for investigations of the thermal structure of the solar wind

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K17815
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Space and upper atmospheric physics
• Research Institution: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (2018); Japan Aerospace EXploration Agency (2016-2017)
• Principal Investigator: Nomura Reiko 国立天文台, RISE月惑星探査検討室, 特任研究員 (30637690)
• Research Collaborator: Matsuoka Ayako 宇宙科学研究所, 准教授 ; Ikeda Hirokazu 宇宙科学研究所, 教授 ; Kojima Hiroshi 京都大学, 准教授 ; Asamura Kazushi 宇宙科学研究所, 准教授 ; Teramoto Mariko 九州工業大学, 助教
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 磁場観測器 / ASIC / 観測ロケット実験

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In order to develop the ultra-slim, light, power saving, and low-noise magnetometer which is integrated sensor and electronics, we put most parts of analog circuits of the fluxgate magnetometer into the analog ASIC chip. Then the size of our electronics became two thirds of the one of the conventional fluxgate magnetometer. Through the performance evaluation with evaluation boards, we installed our ASIC-based magnetometers into two sounding rocket experiments, SS-520-3 and RockSat-XN. The RockSat-XN was launched on January 13, 2019 from Andoya, Norway, however the SS-520-3 was postponed, our magnetometer successfully observed the geomagnetic field during a flight. This is the first magnetometer applied with analog ASIC chips in Japan which successfully operated in the space environment.

Free Research Field

超高層大気，飛翔体搭載機器開発，惑星科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

アナログASIC回路搭載の磁場観測器は，これまで日本で飛翔体に搭載されたことはなく，今回初めて宇宙空間にて正常に動作させることに成功した．宇宙探査機搭載用の超小型磁場観測器の実現に向けて，アナログASIC回路を飛翔体搭載用磁場観測器に適用できることが，観測ロケット実験によるフライト実証により確かめられた．本研究成果は，専用の伸展物を必要としない磁場観測器の研究開発に発展することができ，将来の惑星探査において複数磁場観測器を用いた高空間分解能の観測を実現するために重要である．