US-Austria Cooperative Research: Taylor Cone Formation of Field Emission Thrusters

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0304779BoydThis award supports the PI's graduate student from the University of Michigan in a collaboration with Martin Tajmar of the Space Propulsion Laboratory at the Austrian Research Center in Seibersdorf, Austria. The collaboration will develop a first-principles model for Taylor cone droplet formation through a combination of experimental activities and steady state code development at the Austrian lab, which is a world leader in the development of field emission electric propulsion systems. FEEP is a technology suitable for spacecraft missions (such as the laser interferometer space antenna) requiring thrusts in the sub-milliNewton level and needing precise control abilities. The US and Austrian teams will investigate the effects of viscosity, time of formation of Rayleigh instabilities, and convection of vaporizing ions. A model of those effects will lead to optimized current levels in future FEEP thrusters, thereby achieving maximum mass efficiency for a given thrust.The project also fulfills a training objective. The project will allow the graduate student involved to benefit from performing research in another country. They will develop a heightened appreciation of the world around them while also learning important new technical skills.