Unique Hollow Cathode as a Candidate Non-Magnetic Ion Thruster
Abstract
The applicability of a unique discharge chamber, previously studied by VI Miljevic, as the ion source for a meso-scale ion thruster was investigated. The discharge chamber geometry was chosen due to promising reported results which appeared to alleviate the requirement of external magnetic fields while achieving an adequate degree of ionization. The earlier results from spectroscopic studies on the discharge chamber indicated a high degree of ionization, making it a candidate configuration for an ion thruster. An estimate of the degree of ionization using a simple model of the discharge indicated a low achievable ionization, which stimulated further examination of Miljevic's work. The previous spectroscopic studies were repeated and discrepancies were found. Additional spectroscopic and Langmuir probe measurements were made in the plume to determine the degree of ionization of the discharge chamber for several operating conditions. The degree of ionization was experimentally shown to be 0.06-0.15%. A simple extraction ring increases the degree of ionization by roughly a factor of 3.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 14, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA409110
Entities
People
- Andrew D. Ketsdever
- E. P. Muntz
- Marc Young
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory