DC/LF electric field and spacecraft potential measurements in the solar wind by RPW/BIAS on Solar Orbiter
Résumé
The BIAS subsystem is a part of the Radio and Plasma Waves (RPW) instrument on the ESA Solar Orbiter mission. It allows sending bias current to each of the three RPW antennas. By setting the appropriate bias current the antenna potential can be shifted closer to the local plasma potential. This allows us to measure the floating potential of the spacecraft, as well as the electric field in the DC/LF frequency range with higher accuracy and lower noise level. Here we present the first results on RPW/BIAS in-flight performance based on the operations during the instrument commissioning and first months of science operations.