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- Eduardo Ahedo
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid E.T.S. Ingenieros Aeronáuticos, , Madrid 28040, Spain
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- Mario Merino
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid E.T.S. Ingenieros Aeronáuticos, , Madrid 28040, Spain
書誌事項
- 公開日
- 2011-05-01
- DOI
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- 10.1063/1.3589268
- 公開者
- AIP Publishing
この論文をさがす
説明
<jats:p>Three detachment mechanisms proposed in the literature (via resistivity, via electron inertia, and via induced magnetic field) are analyzed with an axisymmetric model of the expansion of a small-beta, weakly collisional, near-sonic plasma in a diverging magnetic nozzle. The model assumes cold, partially magnetized ions and hot, isothermal, fully magnetized electrons. Different conditions of the plasma beam at the nozzle throat are considered. A central feature is that a positive thrust gain in the nozzle of a plasma thruster is intimately related to the azimuthal current in the plasma being diamagnetic. Then, and contrary to existing expectations, the three aforementioned detachment mechanisms are divergent, that is, the plasma beam diverges outwards of the guide nozzle, further hindering its axial expansion and the thrust efficiency. The rate of divergent detachment is quantified for the small-parameter range of the three mechanisms. Alternative mechanisms for a convergent detachment of the plasma beam are suggested.</jats:p>
収録刊行物
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- Physics of Plasmas
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Physics of Plasmas 18 (5), 053504-, 2011-05-01
AIP Publishing
