Numerical validation of axial plasma momentum lost to a lateral wall induced by neutral depletion
- Division of Systems Research, Yokohama National University, Yokohama 240-8501 (Japan)
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan)
Momentum imparted to a lateral wall of a compact inductively coupled plasma thruster is numerically investigated for argon and xenon gases by a particle-in-cell simulation with Monte Carlo collisions (PIC-MCC). Axial plasma momentum lost to a lateral wall is clearly shown when axial depletion of the neutrals is enhanced, which is in qualitative agreement with the result in a recent experiment using a helicon plasma source [Takahashi et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 195001 (2015)]. The PIC-MCC calculations demonstrate that the neutral depletion causes an axially asymmetric profile of the plasma density and potential, leading to axial ion acceleration and the non-negligible net axial force exerted to the lateral wall in the opposite direction of the thrust.
- OSTI ID:
- 22489883
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 22, Issue 11; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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