| The ionosphere, a conducting layer in the Earth's upper atmosphere, is the nearest naturally occurring plasma. A plasma may be made to resonate at a specific frequency that is a function of the number of free electrons in the plasma. These resonant properties can be stimulated by an antenna immersed in the plasma that is operating at radio frequencies. The density is measured by observing the resonant properties via the impedance characteristics of the antenna. The Plasma Impedance Probe (PIP) is a suite of instruments consisting of a Plasma Frequency Probe (PFP), a Swept Impedance Probe (SIP), and a DC Langmuir probe.; Over a forty-year period the plasma frequency probe has undergone many design iterations and improvements. During the past two years, the instrument has been revised once again, utilizing the latest in analog and digital electronics. This thesis details current improvements and their effect on instrument performance. |
