Pascal Chabert

The main objective of this chapter is to present an overview of the different areas of key technologies that will be needed to fly the technically most challenging of the representative missions identified in chapter 4 (the Pillar 2 Horizon…

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,…

The genesis of the ion axial velocity distribution function (VDF) is analyzed for collisionless Hall thruster discharges. An analytical form for the VDF is obtained from the Vlasov equation, by applying the Tonks-Langmuir theory in the…

We present a novel numerical scheme for the efficient and accurate solution of the isothermal two-fluid (electron and ion) equations coupled to Poisson's equation for low-temperature plasmas. The model considers electrons and ions as…

Hall-effect thrusters (HETs) operated with xenon are one of the most commonly used electric propulsion technologies for a wide range of space missions, including drag compensation in low Earth orbit, station-keeping, and orbital insertion,…

Plasma sheaths driven by radio-frequency voltages occur frequently, in contexts ranging from plasma processing applications to magnetically confined fusion experiments. These sheaths are crucial because they dominantly affect impedance,…