Fundamental Principles Employed for Ionization and Acceleration Layer Control in the Discharge of a Stationary Plasma Thruster

Abstract

The fundamental principles allowing control of the ionization and acceleration layer position and thickness in the discharge of a stationary plasma thruster (SPT) determining ion flows to the discharge chamber walls and the corresponding energy losses and wall erosion rate are considered in this work. These principles have allowed the development of modern SPTs with a long life life that have already been successfully used for many years in space technology. Some of these principles were formulated earlier on the basis of available data and were not fully verified from the physical point of view. To date some new investigations have been carried out. Using them, some new principles are formulated and the earlier ones are corrected in this paper. These principles can be used in the processes of new thruster development.