TY - GEN
T1 - PIC simulation of electrodeless plasma thruster with rotating electric field
AU - Nomura, Ryosuke
AU - Ohnishi, Naofumi
AU - Nishida, Hiroyuki
PY - 2012/12/1
Y1 - 2012/12/1
N2 - For longer lifetime of electric propulsion system, an electrodeless plasma thruster with rotating electric field have been proposed utilizing a helicon plasma source. The rotating electric field may produce so-called Lissajous acceleration of helicon plasma in the presence of diverging magnetic field through a complicated mechanism originating from many parameters. Two-dimensional simulations of the Lissajous acceleration were conducted by a code based on Particle-In-Cell (PIC) method and Monte Carlo Collision (MCC) method for understanding plasma motion in acceleration area and for finding the optimal condition. Obtained results show that azimuthal current depends on ratio of electron drift radius to plasma region length, AC frequency, and axial magnetic field. When ratio of cyclotron frequency to the AC frequency is higher than unity, reduction of the azimuthal current by collision effect is little or nothing.
AB - For longer lifetime of electric propulsion system, an electrodeless plasma thruster with rotating electric field have been proposed utilizing a helicon plasma source. The rotating electric field may produce so-called Lissajous acceleration of helicon plasma in the presence of diverging magnetic field through a complicated mechanism originating from many parameters. Two-dimensional simulations of the Lissajous acceleration were conducted by a code based on Particle-In-Cell (PIC) method and Monte Carlo Collision (MCC) method for understanding plasma motion in acceleration area and for finding the optimal condition. Obtained results show that azimuthal current depends on ratio of electron drift radius to plasma region length, AC frequency, and axial magnetic field. When ratio of cyclotron frequency to the AC frequency is higher than unity, reduction of the azimuthal current by collision effect is little or nothing.
KW - Electrodeless Plasma Thruster
KW - Helicon Plasma
KW - Lissajous Acceleration
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84873156313&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84873156313&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1063/1.4769707
DO - 10.1063/1.4769707
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84873156313
SN - 9780735411159
T3 - AIP Conference Proceedings
SP - 1431
EP - 1436
BT - 28th International Symposium on Rarefied Gas Dynamics 2012
T2 - 28th International Symposium on Rarefied Gas Dynamics 2012, RGD 2012
Y2 - 9 July 2012 through 13 July 2012
ER -