Publications

1. Doner, A., Horányi, M., Faller, J., Fontanese, J., and Munsat, T., "Restoring light transmission of dusty glass surfaces on the Moon", Advances in Space Research, vol. 68, no. 10, pp. 4050-4055, 2021. doi:10.1016/j.asr.2021.07.020.


2. Doner, A., "New Horizons Venetia Burney Student Dust Counter Observes Higher than Expected Fluxes Approaching 60 au", The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 961, no. 2, 2024. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ad18b0.

Conference Attendance and Participation

• AGU - American Geophysical Unit:

  • 2021 Poster, December: Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) Film Signal Amplitude After Exposures to High Temperature
  
  
  • Featured the results of an experiment using both laser pulses and dust impactors on PVDF films after exposing the films to high temperatures. These films were previously only tested up to ~80C; however, these tests suggest that the films continue to work after exposure to 120C.
  
  
  
  • 2022 Talk, December: Exploration of Transport and Availability of Resources in Permanently Shadowed Lunar Polar Regions
  
  
  • This talk explored the potential new science we could conduct with a pair of instruments; a PVDF-based surface detector and an orbiting reflectron-style time-of-flight mass spectrometer.
  
  
  
  • 2023 Invited Talk, December: SDC 56 Au Update
  
  
  • This talk provided an update on the Student Dust Counter measurements as its host s/c (New Horizons) crossed 56 au from the sun.



• LGC - Lunar Graduate Conference:

  The 2021 and 2022 talks featured the results of an experiment using both laser pulses and dust impactors on PVDF films after exposing the films to high temperatures. These films were previously only tested up to ~80C; however, these tests suggest that the films continue to work after exposure to 120C.

  The 2023 talk discussed the potential for a new PVDF based dust detector on the Lunar Surface: called the Lunar Meteroid Monitor (LMM). This would enable us to measure the flux of interplanetary dust particles bombarding the lunar surface and help us explore this mechanism that might prevent volatile accumulation in permanently shadowed regions.

  
  
  • 2021 Talk, August 2021: PolyVinyliDene Fluoride (PVDF) film signal amplitude after exposure to high temperatures
  
  
  • 2022 Talk, August 2022: PolyVinyliDene Fluoride (PVDF) Film Signal Amplitude after exposure to high temperatures
  
  
  • 2023 Talk, August 2023: Large Surface Area Instruments to Monitor Dust Impacts on the Lunar Surface



• NESF - National Exploration Science Forum:

  Discussed the potential for a new PVDF based dust detector on the Lunar Surface: called the Lunar Meteroid Monitor (LMM). This would enable us to measure the flux of interplanetary dust particles bombarding the lunar surface and help us explore this mechanism that might prevent volatile accumulation in permanently shadowed regions.

  • 2022 Talk, August 2022: Large Surface Area Instruments to Monitor Dust Impacts on the Lunar Surface
  
  
  • 2023 Poster, July 2023: Large Surface Area Instruments to Monitor Dust Impacts on the Lunar Surface



• DAP June 5-7, 2023:

  • Slow PVDF Signals + LMM: This talk discussed the potential use of the piezoelectric properties of PVDF as a slow impact detector. Previously, PVDF was only used as a hypervelocity dust detector (> 1km /s).



• ACM June 18-23, 2023:

  • SDC 55Au Update: Edge of the EKB: This talk provided an update on the Student Dust Counter measurements as its host s/c (New Horizons) crossed 55 au from the sun.



• Dust Visions May 28, 2023:

  • SDC 55Au Update: Edge of the EKB: This talk provided an update on the Student Dust Counter measurements as its host s/c (New Horizons) crossed 55 au from the sun.



• DPS 2023 October 1-6:

  • New Horizons/Student Dust Counter Measurements: The Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt at 55 AU Heliocentric Distance: This talk provided an update on the Student Dust Counter measurements as its host s/c (New Horizons) crossed 55 au from the sun.

Science Team Meetings

• New Horizons Science Team Meetings (NH-STM):

  These meetings are every quarter. They consist of the entire New Horizons Science Team and cover new results as well as long-term mission planning. Alex presents the new results from the SDC instrument at each meeting.

  • May 2-4, 2022 Washington University
  • September 2022, Wallace Idaho
  • January 2023, APL, Johns Hopkins University
  • May 23-25, 2023, SWRI Boulder
  • Octtober 24-27, 2023, Boston University
  • January 23-25, 2024, APL, Johns Hopkins University

External Training

• SPICE Training ASU June 2023

Contact

Email: Alex.Doner@lasp.colorado.edu