The Genesis Concentrator is designed to concentrate the heavy
ion flux from the solar wind by an average factor of at
least 20 and implant it into a target of ultra-pure, well-characterized
materials. High-transparency grids held at high voltages
are used near the aperture to reject >90% of the protons,
avoiding damage to the target. Another set of grids and
applied voltages are used to accelerate and focus the
remaining ions to implant into the target. The design
uses an energy-independent parabolic ion mirror to focus
ions onto a 6.2 cm diameter target of materials selected
to contain levels of O and other elements of interest
established and documented to be below 10% of the levels
expected from the solar wind. To optimize the concentration
of the ions, voltages are constantly adjusted based on
real-time solar wind speed and temperature measurements
from the Genesis ion monitor. Construction of the Concentrator
required new developments in ion optics; materials; and
instrument testing and handling.
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Concentrator target post return |
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Section of concentrator target (post return) |
Recovered concentrator target during assembly (pre-launch) |
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