Poster

Re-evaluating Galileo Energetic Particle Detector data by identifying radiation induced detector degradation; use in estimating sputtering erosion rates on the surface of Europa.
MIST
Zoe Lee-Payne
Aberystwyth
The Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) launched in 1989 on the Galileo satellite took data on the Jovian Particle environment for 6 years before its demise. Over the course of the mission the detectors in the Composition Measurement System (CMS) have visibly decayed with higher mass particles, specifically oxygen and sulphur, reading far lower energies at later epochs. By considering the non-steady accumulation of damage in the detector, as well as the operation of the priority channel data recording system in place on the EPD, an evolving correction can be made. Adjusting the data to account for the damage to the detectors will improve our understanding of the Jovian radiation environment. In particular, we can use the revised fluxes to re-evaluate the effect of the particle environment on the surfaces of the icy moons.

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