Plasma Source Development for an advanced electrodeless electric propulsion

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Ion energy distribution function, plasma density, and plasma-potential structure are experimentally investigated in a magnetically expanding plasma source using permanent magnets, connected to a large-diameter, 76-cm-diameter and 100-cm-long vacuum chamber. In the machine, a rapid potential drop due to a formation of an electric double layer spontaneously forms and a resulting supersonic ion beam accelerated by the double layer are detected in the downstream diffusion chamber. As a result of a comparison with the previously performed experiments in the small diffusion chamber, the observed electrodeless and electrostatic ion acceleration is found not to be affected by a boundary condition in the diffusion chamber region. The results demonstrate that the source would be applicable to the electric propulsion devices.