An upgraded high-velocity dust particle accelerator at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota

In 1975, Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota acquired a 2 MeV dust particle accelerator from NASA/GSFC that was used to test the lunar ejecta and micrometeorite (LEAM) experiment flown on Apollo 17. This high-speed dust particle accelerator is still fully functional and is currently being upgraded. Improvements to the electronic detection system have been undertaken including a computer-based, data acquisition system and new particle detection sensor electronics. These sensors have additional amplifiers that extend the range of charge detection to 1×10−12 C allowing for the detection of larger particles. Improvements to the vacuum system have also been made. The accelerator beam line is now pumped with an oil-free, turbomolecular pump reducing possible problems with hydrocarbon contamination. In this work, we describe the facility, and outline some of the recent improvements to the dust particle accelerator and discuss its capabilities and limitations. We also summarize some of the recent experiments conducted using the facility.