Investigation of rotating plasma inhomogeneities in a Hall thruster cross-field discharge
Abstract
This is a joint experimental and numerical research project on the rotating plasma instability and cross-field transport in Hall thrusters. It is a follow-up of a successful study of laser-aided diagnostics on low frequency rotating structures in a cylindrical Hall thruster (EOARD Grant #12-2061). This is an international collaborative project between the Electric Propulsion team of CNRS-ICARE in France, the High Performance Computing (HPC) group at the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University (EMAU) in Greifswald, Germany, and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) in the USA. This project focuses specifically on investigations of a new wall-less Hall thruster concept (WLHT), which has been designed with an architecture minimizing plasma-wall interaction and allowing plasma diagnostics with laser-aided techniques. This new concept may provide a means of reducing wall erosion, which is the key factor in the lifetime shortening of conventional Hall thrusters. The main objective of the study is two-fold, namely: (i) to characterize the physics of rotating plasma structures such as the spoke and related instabilities in the ExB discharge of a Hall thruster, and (ii) to assess the charged-particle transport associated with these inhomogeneities.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 23, 2016
- Source ID
- FA95501510281
Entities
People
- Stéphane Mazouffre
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- National Center for Scientific Research
- United States Air Force