Injection of an electron beam into a plasma and spacecraft charging

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1987 · Phys. Fluids; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.866172· OSTI ID:6699656

Okuda, H; Kan, J R

Injection of a nonrelativistic electron beam into a fully ionized plasma from a spacecraft including the effect of charging has been studied using a one-dimensional particle simulation model. It is found that the spacecraft charging remains negligible and the beam can propagate into a plasma, if the beam density is much smaller than the ambient density. When the injection current is increased by increasing the beam density, significant spacecraft charging takes place and the reflection of beam electrons back to the spacecraft reduces the beam current significantly. On the other hand, if the injection current is increased by increasing the beam energy, spacecraft charging remains negligible and a beam current much larger than the thermal return current can be injected. It is shown that the electric field caused by the beam--plasma instability accelerates the ambient electrons toward the spacecraft thereby enhancing the return current.

• Research Organization: Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, P. O. Box 451, Princeton, New Jersey 08544
• OSTI ID: 6699656
• Journal Information: Phys. Fluids; (United States), Vol. 30:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BEAM-PLASMA SYSTEMS
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA
ELECTRON BEAM INJECTION
SPACE VEHICLES
ELECTRIC CHARGES
ACCELERATION
BEAM CURRENTS
ELECTRONS
INTERACTIONS
IONOSPHERE
ONE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
SIMULATION
USES
BEAM INJECTION
CURRENTS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
INSTABILITY
LEPTONS
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
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