Article
Physics, Applied
Ryoji Imai, Kazunori Takahashi
Summary: Two-dimensional characterization of the plasma plume downstream of a magnetically steered radiofrequency plasma thruster was experimentally performed. The deflections of dynamic momentum flux and electron-diamagnetic-induced Lorentz force play an important role in thrust vector control.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D-APPLIED PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Zhiyuan Chen, Kunlong Wu, Yibai Wang, Junxue Ren, Peng Wu, Guangchuan Zhang, Min Li, Haibin Tang
Summary: A kinetic particle-in-cell model was used to study the detachment processes of electrons in a magnetic nozzle. The detachment direction, mechanisms, and contribution to plasma flux were found to differ significantly between the upstream and downstream regions.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Shaun Andrews, Simone Di Fede, Mirko Magarotto
Summary: A self-consistent model is presented for steady-state fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulations of magnetised plasma plumes. The model effectively prevents numerical pump instability and ensures accurate results. The simulations show that the magnetisation of the plume significantly affects the polytropic index.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
J. Zhou, A. Dominguez-Vazquez, P. Fajardo, E. Ahedo
Summary: This paper introduces an axisymmetric fluid model to simulate electrodeless plasma thrusters. Numerical simulations are conducted to study plasma transport and discuss particle and energy fluxes of electrons. The results indicate that wall losses greatly affect the thrust efficiency of these thrusters, and a sensitivity analysis shows that the performance is underestimated due to incomplete electron expansion in finite plumes.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Mathematics, Applied
Manuel Nunez
Summary: Introducing a magnetic field into the plate generates a perturbation that can be expressed in terms of an Abel transform for lift calculation. Inverting the Abel transform allows for achieving any desired lift distribution on the plate.
ZAMM-ZEITSCHRIFT FUR ANGEWANDTE MATHEMATIK UND MECHANIK
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Valery F. Suleimanov, Alexander A. Mushtukov, Igor Ognev, Victor A. Doroshenko, Klaus Werner
Summary: The geometry and dynamical structure of emission regions in accreting pulsars are influenced by the interplay between gravity, radiation, and strong magnetic field. This study focuses on the quantitative consideration of magnetic plasma opacities in the modeling of emission regions in X-ray pulsars. The results show that the magnetic Planck mean opacity determines the radiative cooling of a strongly magnetized plasma and its value varies with temperature and magnetic field strength.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kazunori Takahashi
Summary: Development of a magnetic nozzle radiofrequency plasma thruster involves rf plasma source and magnetic nozzle, where thrust is affected by rf power transfer efficiency and plasma acceleration. Improving engine efficiency and obtaining larger thrust through configuration modification has been successful in this study.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Alfio E. Vinci, Stephane Mazouffre
Summary: Helicon plasma sources are actively researched in the field of low-temperature plasmas for in-space propulsion applications. This work directly compares krypton and xenon plasma properties, using a range of diagnostics tools to measure the plasma characteristics, with a focus on the effect of magnetic field magnitude on ion and electron properties.
PHYSICS OF PLASMAS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
J. Kalita, R. Das, K. Hosseini, D. Baleanu, S. Salahshour
Summary: In this study, the energy integral is derived using Sagdeev potential in a weakly relativistic plasma, leading to the discovery of compressive and rarefactive subsonic solitary waves in different propagation directions. It is found that compressive relativistic solitons have higher potential depths compared to non-relativistic solitons in all directions, allowing for denser plasma particles in the potential well. Furthermore, the study shows that the compressive soliton amplitude increases as the propagation direction gets closer to the magnetic field's direction.
NONLINEAR DYNAMICS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Kazuma Emoto, Kazunori Takahashi, Yoshinori Takao
Summary: The two-dimensional fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulations of an electrodeless plasma thruster using a magnetic nozzle revealed that the E x B and diamagnetic currents are major components of the internal plasma current. The study showed that as the magnetic field strength increases, the E x B effect decreases while the diamagnetic effect becomes dominant, emphasizing the significant contribution of the diamagnetic effect in thrust generation.
PHYSICS OF PLASMAS
(2021)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Simone Di Fede, Marco Manente, Paolo Joao Comunian, Mirko Magarotto
Summary: This study investigates the plasma dynamics in a Helicon Plasma Thrusters' (HPT) cluster in three dimensions for the first time. The investigation is conducted using ProPic, a 3D particle-in-cell code, and validated against experiments and cross-validated with Starfish, a 2D PIC software. The study reveals three significant phenomena that affect the cluster's performance.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Charles L. Kelly, Peter Thoreau, Justin M. Little
Summary: This paper presents an experiment investigating the interaction between high velocity free molecular flow and magnetized plasma for plasma aerocapture. The experiment shows that the interaction increases the density and temperature of the target plasma by up to a factor of two. Additionally, the voltage required to run the hollow cathode is reduced by up to 5% while the neutral beam is operating, indicating power deposition by the flow. The results suggest the feasibility of scaling the experiment to demonstrate higher energy and momentum transfer.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Alfio E. Vinci, Stephane Mazouffre, Victor Gomez, Pablo Fajardo, Jaume Navarro-Cavalle
Summary: The dynamics of xenon atoms and ions expanding in the magnetic nozzle of a helicon plasma thruster were studied using near-infrared laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy. The results showed that the atoms were accelerated to supersonic velocities behind the thruster exit, while the ions acceleration region extended several centimeters downstream the exit plane.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
K. A. Mizerski
Summary: Non-stationarity in plasma turbulence can induce a strong electromotive force (EMF) and enhance the dynamo effect in large-scale hydromagnetic systems.
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Roman Forster, Carmen Kirner, Jochen Schein
Summary: To support detailed simulation models in plasma generation and expansion, more experimental data are needed for validation. Optical diagnostics methods, including a pseudo stereo imaging system, were used to observe and analyze the behavior of a plasma plume and the effects of a magnetic nozzle on its expansion. Results showed that the magnetic nozzle leads to a more uniform formation of the plasma plume.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2023)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
A. Dominguez-Vazquez, F. Cichocki, M. Merino, P. Fajardo, E. Ahedo
Summary: The study investigates the effects of heavy particle-wall interaction on a cylindrical plasma source discharge through simulations, highlighting the importance of the neutral gas wall reflection model in determining the conditions for a self-sustained and stationary plasma discharge. It also emphasizes the significant impact of small deviations from unity of the ion energy accommodation coefficient on mass utilization efficiency.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Physics, Applied
J. Pereles-Diaz, A. Dominguez-Vazquez, P. Fajardo, E. Ahedo, F. Faraji, M. Reza, T. Andreussi
Summary: Numerical simulations of a magnetically shielded Hall effect thruster with a centrally mounted cathode are described and discussed, focusing on the impact of magnetic configuration and central cathode on plasma behavior. Magnetic shielding significantly reduces energy fluxes, decreases heat loads, and minimizes wall erosion. Injection of neutrals at the central cathode facilitates electron drift and magnetic topology efficiently channels electron current away from lateral walls.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
J. Zhou, A. Dominguez-Vazquez, P. Fajardo, E. Ahedo
Summary: This paper introduces an axisymmetric fluid model to simulate electrodeless plasma thrusters. Numerical simulations are conducted to study plasma transport and discuss particle and energy fluxes of electrons. The results indicate that wall losses greatly affect the thrust efficiency of these thrusters, and a sensitivity analysis shows that the performance is underestimated due to incomplete electron expansion in finite plumes.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Davide Maddaloni, Adrian Dominguez-Vazquez, Filippo Terragni, Mario Merino
Summary: This study presents a data-driven modal analysis of plasma oscillations in a stationary plasma thruster-100-like Hall thruster. The results show that higher order dynamic mode decomposition (HODMD) can successfully uncouple the different dynamics of the oscillations, allowing for separate reconstruction of the breathing and ion transit time modes. It is also found that each plasma variable behaves differently in the different oscillation modes.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Pedro Jimenez, Mario Merino, Eduardo Ahedo
Summary: A two-dimensional, full-wave, frequency domain, cold plasma model is used to study electromagnetic power propagation and absorption in a helicon plasma thruster. Results show that a fraction of power is absorbed in the plume region and that the power deposition in the source is essentially unperturbed by the simulation domain size, the presence of metallic obstacles, or the plasma density in the environment.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Physics, Applied
I Adamovich, S. Agarwal, E. Ahedo, L. L. Alves, S. Baalrud, N. Babaeva, A. Bogaerts, A. Bourdon, P. J. Bruggeman, C. Canal, E. H. Choi, S. Coulombe, Z. Donko, D. B. Graves, S. Hamaguchi, D. Hegemann, M. Hori, H-H Kim, G. M. W. Kroesen, M. J. Kushner, A. Laricchiuta, X. Li, T. E. Magin, S. Mededovic Thagard, V Miller, A. B. Murphy, G. S. Oehrlein, N. Puac, R. M. Sankaran, S. Samukawa, M. Shiratani, M. Simek, N. Tarasenko, K. Terashima, E. Thomas, J. Trieschmann, S. Tsikata, M. M. Turner, I. J. van der Walt, M. C. M. van de Sanden, T. von Woedtke
Summary: The 2022 Roadmap is a publication that aims to identify important challenges in the field of low-temperature plasma (LTP) physics and technology. It includes visions from 41 leading experts representing 21 countries and five continents, with a focus on new topics and areas of interest in the field. The roadmap is expected to contribute to the continued development of LTP science and technology in the next 5-10 years.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D-APPLIED PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Alberto Marin-Cebrian, Adrian Dominguez-Vazquez, Pablo Fajardo, Eduardo Ahedo
Summary: A one-dimensional particle-in-cell model was used to study the effect of a curved magnetic topology on the discharge plasma response and fluxes in a Hall thruster. The results showed that both positive and negative curvatures led to significant tail replenishment and isotropization of the temperature distribution. The radial magnetic force was found to either confine or expand electrons depending on the curvature, which greatly modified the radial electric and pressure forces. These changes in turn affected the plasma density near the wall and the degree of radial ion defocusing.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Alvaro Sanchez-Villar, Federico Boni, Victor Desangles, Julien Jarrige, Denis Packan, Eduardo Ahedo, Mario Merino
Summary: This study compares the experimental and numerical behaviors of a plasma thruster and finds that the average relative errors are small in terms of ion current density and plasma density profiles, as well as thruster performance parameters. The comparison suggests the presence of enhanced cross-field diffusion in the plasma. Differences in electron temperature behavior indicate areas where the model could be improved.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Physics, Applied
M. R. Inchingolo, M. Merino, J. Navarro-Cavalle
Summary: The research characterizes a circular waveguide electron cyclotron resonance plasma thruster prototype driven by microwaves at 5.8 GHz. The magnetic field is generated by a combination of Sm-CoYXG32 magnets and an electromagnet, which allows for tuning of the resonance position and magnetic nozzle shape. The main plasma plume properties and the propulsive performance of the device are analyzed by varying the mass flow rate (Xenon), microwave power, electromagnet current, and propellant injector design. Utilization efficiency of up to 70% and electron temperatures of up to 16 eV have been measured, while it was found that a single radial injector hole is not sufficient for a symmetric ion current profile and that magnetic nozzle shape and strength tuning can significantly affect the divergence angle and thruster floating potential.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Mario Merino, Diego Garcia-Lahuerta, Eduardo Ahedo
Summary: When two magnetic nozzles with opposite polarity are placed side by side, a 'magnetic arch' is formed, connecting the field lines of each nozzle into a closed-line configuration. This magnetic topology is important for electrodeless plasma thrusters and non-cylindrical thruster architectures. A model is introduced to analyze the plasma expansion and properties in this magnetic arch. It is shown that the ions from the nozzles form a single beam that propagates beyond the applied magnetic field, generating magnetic thrust.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Pedro Jimenez, Jiewei Zhou, Jaume Navarro, Pablo Fajardo, Mario Merino, Eduardo Ahedo
Summary: In this study, experiments and simulations were conducted to analyze a compact helicon plasma thruster. The results showed a consistency between the experimental and numerical findings, revealing that the cusp plays a central role in determining plasma losses and electron temperature distribution, thus limiting device performance.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
