Parametric Survey of Space Debris Charging Mechanisms in Ionospheric Plasmas

From soliton generation to the Lorentz perturbation, the electric charge acquired by Earth-orbiting space debris informs alternative methods to improving its detection and predictive modeling. The temperatures and densities of each species within the ambient ionospheric plasma, along with the physical characteristics and orbital parameters of the debris particle, determine the steady state floating potential achieved by the debris within a given solar and geomagnetic environment. This study utilizes a flux-balancing approach to account for ion and electron current, drift current, backscattering, secondary emission, photoelectron emission, and deep dielectric charging to evaluate the quasi-steady state debris charge. The transient charging time and relative significance of each flux is quantified for a range of debris materials and sizes within various orbital regimes to guide researchers in accurately capturing space debris charging for the appropriate application.