Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2958-8552

Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Thesis (Ph.D.)

Department or Program

Physics and Astronomy

First Advisor

Kristina Lynch

Abstract

Prediction and mitigation of space weather events are active research topics that require knowledge of the physics governing the ionosphere. Sounding rockets can be used to make in situ observations. The Lynch Rocket Lab created the Petite-Ion-Probe (PIP), a small retarding potential analyzer, to measure thermal ion parameters (i.e., ion density and temperature). A PIP's raw data consists of a series of measured anode currents as a function of screen bias voltages, called IV curves. PIPs can be integrated onto a sounding rocket’s main payload and/or be deployed from the rocket on small platforms called ``PIP-Bobs''. Note that as the (sub-)payload moves through the ionosphere, it charges to an electric potential which must be considered in analyzing an onboard PIP's data. Ion temperature, ion density and spacecraft potential can be extracted from raw PIP data by forward-modeling Maxwellian thermal ion distributions to the PIP's IV curves. Note that this method requires detailed knowledge of the PIP's orientation (i.e., attitude) over time.

Perturbations to the ionosphere provide opportunities to study the governing physics. The Kinetic-scale energy and momentum transport experiment (KiNET-X) rocket mission studied the ionospheric response to sudden energy/momentum injections, in the form of ionizing barium releases. The Atmospheric Perturbations around Eclipse Path-2 (APEP-2) rocket mission studied the ionospheric response to the April 2024 eclipse, which removed then quickly returned an energy source to the ionosphere. Both missions deployed PIPs on PIP-Bobs. KiNET-X also carried PIPs on the main payload.

KiNET-X necessitated the expansion of our forward-modeling code to interpret PIP data taken inside a multi-species plasma. Additionally, a generalized code was developed to determine a Bob’s attitude over time. KiNET-X observed ambient ionosphere heating driven by ion-cyclotron oscillations from each release, and observed the injected barium’s non-ideal motion through the ionosphere. APEP-2 observed a distinct, localized decrease in E-region ion temperature as well as a lesser cooling of F-region ions. Both missions’ PIP-Bobs observed spacecraft potential variations that followed the calculated attitudes’ variations.

This thesis work illustrates the use of PIPs and Bobs for scientific studies, and provides tools for future use of these platforms for ionospheric studies.

Original Citation

Moses, M. L., Lynch, K., Delamere, P. A., Lessard, M., Pfaff, R., Larsen, M., Hampton, D. L., Conde, M., Barnes, N. P., Damiano, P. A., Otto, A., and Moser-Gauthier, C. (2025c). Single-point in situ measurements of thermal ions during the KiNET-X ionospheric sounding rocket mission. Physics of Plasmas, 32(4).

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