Extraction and Acceleration of Ions from an Ion-Ion Plasma

Journal Article · Mon Sep 26 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3637439· OSTI ID:21611714

Popelier, Lara; Aanesland, Ane; Chabert, Pascal ^[1]

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1. Laboratoire de Physique des Plasmas - Ecole Polytechnique, Route de Saclay, 91128 Palaiseau (France)

Extraction and acceleration of positive and negative ions from a strong electronegative plasma and from an ion-ion plasma is investigated in the PEGASES thruster, working with SF{sub 6}. The plasma is generated in a cylindrical quartz tube terminated by metallic endplates. The electrons are confined by a static magnetic field along the axis of the cylinder. The electron mobility along the field is high and the electrons are determining the sheaths in front of the endplates. The core plasma potential can therefore be controlled by the bias applied to the endplates. An ion-ion plasma forms at the periphery as a result of electron confinement and ions can freely diffuse along the perpendicular direction or extraction axis. Langmuir probe and RFEA measurements are carried out along this axis. The measured ion energy distributions shows a single peak centered around a potential consistent with the plasma potential and the peak position could be controlled with a positive voltage applied to the endplates. When the endplates are biased negatively, the plasma potential saturates and remained close to 15 V. A beam of negatively charged particles can be observed under certain conditions when the endplates were biased negatively.

• OSTI ID: 21611714
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1390, Issue 1; Conference: 2. international symposium on negative ions, beams and sources, Takayama City (Japan), 16-19 Nov 2010; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3637439; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
ACCELERATION
ANIONS
BEAM EXTRACTION
ELECTRON MOBILITY
ELECTRONS
ENERGY SPECTRA
ION BEAMS
ION SOURCES
LANGMUIR PROBE
MAGNETIC FIELDS
PLASMA
PLASMA BEAM INJECTION
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS
PLASMA POTENTIAL
BEAM INJECTION
BEAMS
CHARGED PARTICLES
CONFINEMENT
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
ELECTRIC PROBES
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
IONS
LEPTONS
MOBILITY
PARTICLE MOBILITY
PROBES
SPECTRA