Particle-in-cell simulations of Hall thruster acceleration and near plume regions

The results of 1-D azimuthal, and 2-D z-θ, particle-in-cell simulations of Hall thruster acceleration and near plume regions are reported. The 1-D simulations show that fast moving electron waves drive coherent, large amplitude, ion acoustic waves. The ion waves become azimuthally coherent too quick...

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Veröffentlicht in:Physics of plasmas 2018-12, Vol.25 (12)
Hauptverfasser: Katz, Ira, Chaplin, Vernon H., Lopez Ortega, Alejandro
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:The results of 1-D azimuthal, and 2-D z-θ, particle-in-cell simulations of Hall thruster acceleration and near plume regions are reported. The 1-D simulations show that fast moving electron waves drive coherent, large amplitude, ion acoustic waves. The ion waves become azimuthally coherent too quickly for ion sound to be the cause; the coherence comes from early electron waves. 2-D simulations with only fast moving, main beam, ions result in ion acoustic wave amplitudes much lower than those in the 1-D calculations. The addition of a small amount of ionization in the domain, at a rate consistent with Hall thruster parameters, causes the potential profile to divide into two distinct regions. In the upstream portion of the domain, the potential profile is very steep; in the downstream portion, the potential profile is almost flat. Electron transport in the two regions is discussed.
ISSN:1070-664X
1089-7674
DOI:10.1063/1.5054009