Perspectives on Physics of ExB Discharges Relevant to Plasma Propulsion and Similar Technologies
Abstract
This paper provides perspectives on recent progress in the understanding of the physics of devices where the external magnetic field is applied perpendicularly to the discharge current. This configuration generates a strong electric field, which acts to accelerates ions. The many applications of this set up include generation of thrust for spacecraft propulsion and the separation of species in plasma mass separation devices. These ExB plasmas are subject to plasma-wall interaction effects as well as various micro and macro instabilities, and in many devices, we observe the emergence of anomalous transport. This perspective presents the current understanding of the physics of these phenomena, state-of-the-art computational results, identifies critical questions, and suggests directions for future research
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2007.09194,
title = {Perspectives on Physics of ExB Discharges Relevant to Plasma Propulsion and Similar Technologies},
author = {Igor D. Kaganovich and Andrei Smolyakov and Yevgeny Raitses and Eduardo Ahedo and Ioannis G. Mikellides and Benjamin Jorns and Francesco Taccogna and Renaud Gueroult and Sedina Tsikata and Anne Bourdon and Jean-Pierre Boeuf and Michael Keidar and Andrew Tasman Powis and Mario Merino and Mark Cappelli and Kentaro Hara and Johan A. Carlsson and Nathaniel J. Fisch and Pascal Chabert and Irina Schweigert and Trevor Lafleur and Konstantin Matyash and Alexander V. Khrabrov and Rod W. Boswell and Amnon Fruchtman},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2007.09194},
year = {2021}
}
Comments
59 pages, 25 Figures, submitted to Physics of Plasmas