Journal
PHYSICS OF PLASMAS
Volume 18, Issue 10, Pages -Publisher
AIP Publishing
DOI: 10.1063/1.3654052
Keywords
plasma magnetohydrodynamics; plasma oscillations; plasma sheaths; plasma simulation; plasma temperature; plasma-wall interactions
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Funding
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [HEUCF100212]
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [51007013]
- National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars [50925625]
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In Hall thrusters, the electron velocity distribution function is not only depleted at high energies, but also strongly anisotropic. With these electrons interacting with the channel wall, the sheath will be changed in its dynamic characteristics. In the present letter, a two dimensional particle-in-cell code is used to simulate these effects in a collisionless plasma slab. The simulated results indicate that the sheath changes from steady regime to temporal oscillation regime when the electron velocity distribution function alters from isotropy to anisotropy. Moreover, the temporal oscillation sheath formed by the anisotropic electrons has a much greater oscillating amplitude and a much smaller average potential drop than that formed by the isotropic electrons has. The anisotropic electrons are also found to lower the critical value of electron temperature needed for the appearance of the spatial oscillation sheath. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3654052]
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