Physical and technological principles of particle detecting instruments in satellites

Abstract. Measuring different properties of particles in space has applications in space and atmospheric science. It is important to choose the right type of instrument for the mission at hand as different detectors have very different properties. Some things that need to be taken into account in satellites are cost, size, type of particles that need to be measured and what properties should be measured, for example mass or energy or just count of the particles. To achieve accurate or more complex measurements careful study of physical effects and theory is required in addition to rigorous empirical testing and calibration of the detectors used. This thesis is going to give brief introduction to some of the methods used for particle detection and some basic physical principles related to them. Commonly used detectors will also be introduced in addition to some example instruments and filtering techniques to support the theory