Potentials and Currents Induced on Satellites by Prompt Photon Irradiation

Fully self-consistent and Thevenin-equivalent treatments of a l-d space charge limited diode connected to external circuitry have revealed that induced circuit currents resulting from the two different approaches are, in many respects, in good agreement with one another. Trial calculations were performed for frequently-encountered circuit component values and a wide range of fluences (from linear to very severely space charge limited regimes). Although additional exploratory work remains to be done, these results provide strong evidence for extensive applicability of the Thevenin-equivalent technique to coupling particle/ field solutions of SGEMP problems external to a satellite to circuitry within that satellite. Results from a fully dynamic 2-d code are also presented as an illustration of the use of the Thevenin technique in analyses of real systems.