Date Thesis Awarded
5-2022
Access Type
Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only
Degree Name
Bachelors of Science (BS)
Department
Physics
Advisor
Saskia Mordijck
Committee Members
David Armstrong
Shannon White
Abstract
Satellites on orbit degrade in capability due to radiation exposure, from both the solar wind and solar flares. The goal here is to apply chaotic magnetic fields to protecting satellite circuitry from high energy particles in the space radiation environment as an alternative to prohibitively heavy and expensive radiation shielding for cubesats. We consider the use of chaotic magnetic fields both in redirecting high energy particles away from a satellite and in slowing high energy particles by increasing collisional processes. We demonstrate the existence of chaotic magnetic field lines (CMFLs) arising from simple combinations of individual current loops, using Lyapunov Exponents and the Higuchi Fractal Dimension to show chaotic behaviors of numerically integrated magnetic field lines. Finally, we discuss on orbit implications for using this type of system, including current requirements and volume limitations.
Recommended Citation
Gnesin, Seth, "Method for Protecting Satellites from Solar Energetic Particles Using Chaotic Magnetic Fields" (2022). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 1757.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/1757
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
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