High-speed dual Langmuir probe
- Department of Aerospace Engineering, Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 (United States)
In an effort to temporally resolve the electron density, electron temperature, and plasma potential for turbulent plasma discharges, a unique high-speed dual Langmuir probe (HDLP) has been developed. A traditional single Langmuir probe of cylindrical geometry (exposed to the plasma) is swept simultaneously with a nearby capacitance and noise compensating null probe (fully insulated from the plasma) to enable bias sweep rates on a microsecond timescale. Traditional thin-sheath Langmuir probe theory is applied for interpretation of the collected probe data. Data at a sweep rate of 100 kHz are presented; however the developed system is capable of running at 1 MHz--near the upper limit of the applied electrostatic Langmuir probe theory for the investigated plasma conditions. Large sets (100 000 sweeps at each of 352 spatial locations) of contiguous turbulent plasma properties are collected using simple electronics for probe bias driving and current measurement attaining 80 dB signal-to-noise measurements with dc to 1 MHz bandwidth. Near- and far-field plume measurements with the HDLP system are performed downstream from a modern Hall effect thruster where the time-averaged plasma properties exhibit the approximate ranges: electron density n{sub e} from (1x10{sup 15})-(5x10{sup 16}) m{sup -3}, electron temperature T{sub e} from 1 to 3.5 eV, and plasma potential V{sub p} from 5 to 15 V. The thruster discharge of 200 V (constant anode potential) and 2 A (average discharge current) displays strong, 2.2 A peak-to-peak, current oscillations at 19 kHz, characteristic of the thruster ''breathing mode'' ionization instability. Large amplitude discharge current fluctuations are typical for most Hall thrusters, yet the HDLP system reveals the presence of the same 19 kHz fluctuations in n{sub e}(t), T{sub e}(t), and V{sub p}(t) throughout the entire plume with peak-to-peak divided by mean plasma properties that average 94%. The propagation delays between the discharge current fluctuations and the corresponding plasma density fluctuations agree well with expected ion transit-times observed with distinct plasma waves traveling away from the thruster at velocities >10 km/s.
- OSTI ID:
- 22053784
- Journal Information:
- Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 81, Issue 7; Other Information: (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0034-6748
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
ANODES
CURRENTS
CYLINDRICAL CONFIGURATION
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTRON DENSITY
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
FLUCTUATIONS
HALL EFFECT
KHZ RANGE
LANGMUIR PROBE
MHZ RANGE
OSCILLATIONS
PLASMA
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA POTENTIAL
PLASMA SHEATH
PLASMA WAVES
SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO
THRUSTERS
TIME RESOLUTION