Large scale particle tracing simulation for touchless potential sensing

Novel active sensing technologies have been recently proposed to touchlessly measure the electrostatic potential of non-cooperative objects in Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit and cislunar space. This technology involves a servicing spacecraft that makes us of an electron beam or UV laser to excite secondary electron and photoelectron emissions. The energy of the emitted particles is then used to determine the potential of the target with respect to the servicer. However, the electric field produced by charged spacecraft with complex geometry is highly inhomogeneous. Enhanced modeling capabilities are thus required to analyze complex shapes and differentially-charged objects in scenarios of practical interest. This work expands on a SIMION-based electrostatic simulation framework that integrates the electron beam and secondary electron dynamics. To do so, spacecraft models of SSL-1300 and GOESR are implemented in fine and coarse potential arrays in SIMION. The result is a full-scale model of active potential sensing in environments in which the Debye length is larger than the separation distance between the servicer and target.