This article is cited in 5 papers

Plasma

Analysis of the formation of ion beams in varying electric fields of a stationary plasma thruster

A. N. Veselovzorov, E. D. Dlugach, A. A. Pogorelov, È. B. Svirskii, V. A. Smirnov

National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Moscow

Abstract: We propose a technique for analyzing the distribution function of the velocity components (radial $V_r$ and azimuthal $V_\phi$) of ions in a beam. This technique is used for studying the ion beam emerging from a stationary plasma thruster (SPT). It is shown that the beam contains ions with a radial velocity component in the range $V_r/V_z$ = -1.2 to +0.74, as well as ions with the azimuthal velocity component in the range $V_\varphi/V_z$ = $\pm$ 0.9. Numerical calculations lead to the conclusion that ions acquire the azimuthal velocity component in the field of the azimuthal wave of the plasma potential evolving in the SPT channel.

Received: 10.09.2012

 English version: Technical Physics, 2013, 58:7, 968–972

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