Numerical and experimental Investigation of the electromagnetic coupling in hybrid DC-RF Plasma Sources

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Based on the activities during the first 24 months, which was as compared with the originally planned activity limited in time and budget, furher aspects have to be assessed which base on both the results so far and a required wish list which is due to the temporal and budgeterial limitation of the first phase of the project.Major activities have to cover extensions and improvements of the numerical code SINA (see the extended document) and the needed synopsis of the experimental results with open activities such as the Mach-Zender-Interferometer measurements which are partly content of the cost neutral extension of the research project. The system design of the MZI has partly been verified by the results in Chadwick's journal paper (electron densities).Results from investigations with Argon as propellant for the second stage of TIHTUS have a reciprocal behaviour as compared with results obtained by Nawaz and Herdrich using air. However, very first explanatory approaches show that the discharge behaviour of the second stage of TIHTUS has to be assessed further. In additon, the majority of the results obtained and the results from Nawaz and Herdrich could be successfully verified using SINA. This allows for promising expectations in the planned second phase of the project. Evidently, the TIHTUS system at the whole has to be characterized during the last 6 months of the second phase concerning both the overall behaviour but also the determination of thruster relevant parameters such as thrust and specific impulse. This assessment has to be performed in a delayed manner as the first results for the inductively heated stage of TIHTUS were significantly more sustainable. Prepraratory studies with respect to thrust and specific impulse determination are already enagaged and ongoing such that these aspects can be worked out with a minimized risk in the follwing project phase and the cost neutral extension that has been engaged just now for the following 6 months. The extension of the research project, therefore, would enable both a significantly improved synthesis of the results so far and, in addition, a significant extension of both results and knowledge including the optimization potential for TIHTUS.