We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Number Density Measurement of Neutral Particles in a Miniature Microwave Discharge Ion Thruster.
- Authors
Yuto SUGITA; Yoshiki YAMAGIWA; Makoto MATSUI; Hiroyuki KOIZUMI; Hitoshi KUNINAKA
- Abstract
Laser absorption spectroscopy (LAS) is a useful technique for sensitive quantitative measurement of plasma parameters. We used LAS to obtain plasma profiles inside the ȝ1 miniature ion thruster developed by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency; this thruster is intended for installation on small spacecraft weighing up to 50 kg. It operates at low microwave power (1 W) and has been developed as a complete system, including a neutralizer. At present, the thrust efficiency of the ȝ1 thruster is not as high as that of standard ion thrusters and optimization is required. A detailed profile of plasma inside the discharge chamber is necessary for further improving performance. We developed an experimental LAS setup with spatial resolution of 0.1 mm for a modified ȝ1 thruster model. The number density distribution of neutral particles in a metastable state was measured and found to be about 1017 m-3.
- Subjects
PLASMA gases; LASER spectroscopy; ELECTRIC propulsion of space vehicles; JAPAN Aerospace Exploration Agency; AERODYNAMICS; ARTIFICIAL satellites
- Publication
Transactions of the Japan Society of Aeronautical & Space Sciences, Aerospace Technology Japan, 2014, Vol 12, Issue ists 29, p31
- ISSN
1884-0485
- Publication type
Article