Research on strong radiation shielding protection design for the Jupiter system

The radiation environment around Jupiter is more severe than that in medium-to-high Earth orbits. Traditional shielding materials have significant mass and cost, making it imperative to design more efficient shielding materials to counteract the harmful effects of intense radiation. This paper uses the Tianwen-4 orbiter's orbit around Jupiter as a case study, using the D&G83+Salammbo model to calculate the high-energy particle radiation environment of the Jovian system. The Geant4 tool was utilized to simulate the shielding performance of "high-Z + low-Z" composite materials, analyzing their shielding effectiveness at equivalent thicknesses ranging from 3 mm to 100 mm. The research results indicate that aluminium-tantalum composite materials exhibit a significant radiation protection effect compared to elemental aluminium, with a 54.92% improvement in shielding performance at an equivalent thickness of 20 mm. Furthermore, as the equivalent thickness increases, the proportion of aluminium in the optimal composite shielding layer gradually increases. These findings provide an important reference for the design and application of radiation protection materials in future deep-space exploration missions.