Electronic Material Test Approaches for Natural and Stimulated Emissions in the Ionosphere and Magnetosphere

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research’s (AFOSR) mission is strengthening science to enhance longer-term capabilities of the United States Air and Space Forces. AFOSR funds higher-risk basic science primarily at universities. The Ionosphere (located $\sim 80-600 \mathrm{~km}$) and Magnetosphere (located $\sim 800-1000 \mathrm{~km}$) region’s natural and stimulated emissions affect material function. Imprecise environment and emission related material degradation mechanism understanding causes material system design specifications to exceed predicted need to assure performance. Single event effect failure in microelectronics highlight’s the challenges of operating within these zones [1]. Opportunities to enhance material function include identifying and quantifying non-linear combinations of environmental factors, including atomic oxygen exposure, ultraviolet radiation, ionizing radiation, ultra-high vacuum effects, thermal cycling, and electrostatic influences. Extending theory to include new modes of magnetic, electronic, excitonic, photonic interactions with second-order material effects; using non-traditional materials in the space environment such as lanthanide-containing 2D MXenes combined with other 2D materials; innovating bio-inspired nanoscale sensing of electromagnetic fields, thermal environment, and magnetization using metal-insulator transition in complex oxides; and the exploitation of physics governing excitons (bound electron-hole pairs) are potential approaches to expanding viable materials systems and analysis fidelity.