Insight into the plasma structure of the Quad Confinement Thruster using electron kinetic modelling
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Williams, Rhys David
Fabris, Andrea Lucca
Knoll, Aaron
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The behaviour of plasma within the discharge channel of the Quad Confinement Thruster is studied on the basis of electron kinetics. Here we propose that E × B drift of electrons drives the formation of unusual quadrant dependent light emitting structures observed experimentally in the discharge channel of the Quad Confinement Thruster. This assertion is made on the basis of a theory-based analysis and a computational model of the Quad Confinement Thruster. A particle orbit model of electron motion under the influence of applied electric and magnetic fields was used to assess electron transport. Structures strongly resembling that of the observed visible emission regions were found in the electron density distribution within the channel. While the motion of electrons cannot be decoupled from the motion of ions, as in this simple electron kinetic approximation, the results of this analysis strongly indicate the physical mechanism governing the formation of the non-uniform density distributions within the Quad Confinement Thruster channel.
Date Issued
2020-08
Date Acceptance
2020-04-11
Citation
Acta Astronautica, 2020, 173, pp.111-118
ISSN
0094-5765
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Start Page
111
End Page
118
Journal / Book Title
Acta Astronautica
Volume
173
Copyright Statement
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This manuscript is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Identifier
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094576520302253?via%3Dihub
Subjects
Aerospace & Aeronautics
0901 Aerospace Engineering
0913 Mechanical Engineering
Publication Status
Published online
Date Publish Online
2020-04-19