Time-Synchronized Continuous Wave Laser-Induced Fluorescence Velocity Measurements of a Diverging Cusped Field Thruster

Abstract

Measurements are presented of time-synchronized ion velocities at three points within the acceleration channel and in the plume of a diverging cusped field thruster operating on xenon. Xenon ion velocities for the thruster are derived from laser-induced fluorescence measurements of the 5d[4]7/2-6p[3]5/2 xenon ion excited state transition centered at lambda = 834.72 nm. The thruster is operated in a high current mode, where the anode discharge current is shown to oscillate quasi-periodically. A sample-hold scheme is implemented to correlate ion velocities to phases along the current cycle. These time-synchronized measurements show that ionization and acceleration regions of the discharge shift in position over the course of a current cycle.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2012
Accession Number
ADA593815

Entities

People

  • Mark Cappelli
  • Natalia A. Macdonald
  • William A. Hargus

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Air Platforms
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force Research Laboratories
  • Amplifiers
  • Charged Particles
  • Continuous Waves
  • Detection
  • Dye Lasers
  • Electric Fields
  • Electric Propulsion
  • Electrons
  • Fluorescence
  • Hall Thrusters
  • Laser Induced Fluorescence
  • Lasers
  • Liquid Dye Lasers
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Measurement
  • Thrusters

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerospace Propulsion Engineering.
  • Combustion Dynamics and Shock Wave Physics.
  • Optical Physics and Photonics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster