Speaker
Renato Pakter
Description
See the full Abstract at http://ocs.ciemat.es/EPS2018ABS/pdf/P2.3014.pdf
Nonlinear charge dynamics effects in a Hall thruster device
S. Marini1 , R. Pakter2
1 LULI, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, École Polytechnique, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay,
France.
2 Instituto de Física - UFRGS, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Plasma thrusters have been identified as a promising technology for primary propulsion in
deep-space scientific missions. Among different types of plasma propulsion devices, Hall effect
thrusters stand out by its current state of the art [1]. Most of the basic analyses of particle
dynamics on Hall thrusters are based on models that consider a one dimensional flow that lead
to integrable charge dynamics. In practice, however, the dynamics is fully three dimensional,
allowing for the onset of more complex dynamical behavior [2]. In this paper, we investigate the
charge dynamics in a simplified three dimensional model for the Hall thruster which presents
chaotic behavior. A detailed discussion on the validity of the model is presented. It is shown that
electron chaotic dynamics is intimately connected with an increased background gas ionization
probability and plasma formation, which is of utmost importance for the device operation [3].
It is also shown that despite the chaotic dynamics, charge confinement can be preserved with a
proper choice of the electromagnetic field profile.
References
[1] J. Vaudolon, S. Mazouffre, C. Hénaux, D. Harribey, and A. Rossi, Appl. Phys. Lett. 107, 174103 (2015).
[2] S. Marini and R. Pakter, Phys. Plasmas 24, 053507 (2017).
[3] S. Mazouffre, G. Bourgeois, K. Dannenmayer, and A. Lejeune, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 45, 185203 (2012).
