Abstract
We present an up-to-date quantitative overview of the nature of oscillations in the 1 kHz-60 MHz frequency range that have been observed during operation of Hall thrusters. Contours of various plasma parameters measured inside the accelerating channel of a typical Hall thruster are used to evaluate the various stability criteria and dispersion relations of oscillations that are suspected to occur. A band by band overview of the oscillations is carried out with a description of their observed behavior and a discussion of their nature and dependencies through comparison of the calculated contours to reported observations. The discussion encompasses the excitation of low frequency azimuthal drift waves that can form a rotating spoke, axially propagating "transit-time" oscillations, high frequency azimuthal drift waves, ionization instability-type waves, and wave emission peculiar to weakly ionized inhomogeneous plasma in crossed electric and magnetic fields.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 287-304 |
Number of pages | 18 |
Journal | European Space Agency, (Special Publication) ESA SP |
Issue number | 465 |
State | Published - Dec 2000 |
Event | 3rd International Conference on Spacecraft Propulsion - Cannes, France Duration: Oct 10 2000 → Oct 13 2000 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Aerospace Engineering
- Space and Planetary Science