The artificially injected charged particles as a tool for the measurement of the electric field in the magnetosphere

This chapter discusses two methods of measuring the parallel electric field using artificially injected charged particles. The first method uses electrons to measure the parallel electric field in the vicinity of the spacecraft. The second method uses ions to measure electric potential along the magnetic field lines if the associated parallel electric field is directed downward. The use of electrons for the measurement has many limitations due to the disturbed regions surrounding the spacecraft and to the high level of turbulence which could significantly reduce accuracy. Even if the parallel electric fields are too low to be measured owing to the broadening of the fluxes by turbulence, the electrons can still be used to study the turbulence. It is demonstrated that if parallel electric fields are predominantly directed upward at high altitude, a downward parallel electric field can exist at lower altitude. Lithium ions can be used to maximize the returning fluxes and to increase the probability of detection. Rockets are shown to be more suitable than satellites with regard to measurement