A Hypervelocity Microparticle Linear Accelerator for Use in Micrometeoric Simulation

Various means have been developed to simulate micrometeorites in the laboratory. A system is described here which is based on the Wideroe heavy ion accelerator principle. Conductive charged particles in the 0.1 to 5 micron diameter size range are accelerated in much the same manner as are heavy ions. The final velocities so far obtained have been 10.8 kilometers/sec. This accelerator has been used to study the damage effects of hypervelocity particles to optical surfaces. The system provides a good simulation of the lower velocity type of cosmic dust most frequently encountered in space. The microparticle linear accelerator offers some advantages over the electrostatic type. However, all types of electric field accelerators used for hypervelocity work are limited to the smaller microparticle sizes due to the very large charge the particle must support.