Characteristics of plasma properties in an ablative pulsed plasma thruster
- Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan)
- Department of Advanced Energy, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8561 (Japan)
- Institute of Space Systems (IRS), University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Baden-Wuerttemberg (Germany)
Pulsed plasma thrusters are electric space propulsion devices which create a highly transient plasma bulk in a short-time arc discharge that is expelled to create thrust. The transitional character and the dependency on the discharge properties are yet to be elucidated. In this study, optical emission spectroscopy and Mach-Zehnder interferometry are applied to investigate the plasma properties in variation of time, space, and discharge energy. Electron temperature, electron density, and Knudsen numbers are derived for the plasma bulk and discussed. Temperatures were found to be in the order of 1.7 to 3.1 eV, whereas electron densities showed maximum values of more than 10{sup 17} cm{sup -3}. Both values showed strong dependency on the discharge voltage and were typically higher closer to the electrodes. Capacitance and time showed less influence. Knudsen numbers were derived to be in the order of 10{sup -3}-10{sup -2}, thus, indicating a continuum flow behavior in the main plasma bulk.
- OSTI ID:
- 22107719
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 20, Issue 3; Other Information: (c) 2013 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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