Theoretical model development and experimental test application for ultraviolet photoelectron emission yield of spacecraft surface materials

Abstract

The space environment strongly affects the on-orbit performance of spacecraft，and ultraviolet（UV） radiation is one of the important factors，which can lead to charge accumulation and charge discharge of spacecraft surface materials. The photoelectron emission yield（PEEY）of spacecraft surface materials is measured to obtain the basic data of photoemission and perform surface charging simulation analysis，which is an important method to study the charging problem of spacecraft surface materials. The paper firstly introduces the development of PEEY theoretical models，including the Fowler-Dubridge（FD） model，the one-step model，the three-step model（TSM）/Monte carlo（MC） model based on the three-step photoelectron emission theory，and the Moments-based （MB） emission model and quantum model（QM）. The research methods and applicable conditions of each model are analyzed and compared，and the development of PEEY model is sorted out. Then the experimental test applications of PEEY，including the development of domestic and foreign ultraviolet photoelectron yield spectroscopy （UV-PEEY） instruments，the experimental study of PEEY for typical space materials are introduced，and the influence of external conditions and surface conditions on PEEY is focused on. Finally，the suggestions for in-depth research on PEEY for space surface materials are put forward.

Keywords

• spacecraft surface materials
• photoelectron emission yield (peey)
• quantum efficiency
• three-step emission theory
• theoretical model