Related papers: On the mechanism of ionization oscillations in Hal…
Low-frequency axial oscillations (5-50 kHz) stand out as a pervasive feature observed in many types of Hall thrusters. While it is widely recognized that the ionization effects play the central role in this mode, as manifested via the large…
The dynamics of the neutral atoms in Hall thrusters affect several plasma processes, from the ionization to the electrons' mobility. In the context of Hall thruster's particle-in-cell (PIC) modeling, the neutrals are often treated…
We consider planar systems of predator-prey models with small predator death rate $\epsilon>0$. Using geometric singular perturbation theory and Floquet theory, we derive characteristic functions that determines the location and the…
An axial-azimuthal two-dimensional Hall thruster discharge model was developed for analyzing gradient drift instability (GDI) and cross-field electron transport enhancement induced solely by the GDI. A hybrid particle-fluid model was used…
High-power magnetically shielded Hall thrusters have recently emerged to meet the needs of the next-generation space missions. Even though a few such thrusters are currently undergoing their late-stage development campaigns, many unanswered…
The micro-newton cusped field Hall thruster is an electric propulsion device that employs microwave-assisted ionization control. It serves as an actuator in drag-free control systems, ensuring control accuracy and stability by providing…
A three species one-dimensional kinetic model is presented for a spatially homogeneous weakly ionized plasma subjected to the action of a time varying electric field. Planar geometry is assumed, which means that the plasma dynamics evolves…
Astrophysical fluids under the influence of magnetic fields are often subjected to single-fluid or two-fluid approximations. In the case of weakly ionized plasmas however, this can be inappropriate due to distinct responses from the…
Ions in Hall effect thrusters are often characterized by a low collisionality. In the presence of acceleration fields and azimuthal electric field waves, this results in strong deviations from thermodynamic equilibrium, introducing kinetic…
The low-frequency rotating plasma instability (spoke) in the ISCT200 thruster operating in the wall-less configuration was simulated with a 3 dimensional PIC MCC code. In the simulations an m = 1 spoke rotating with a velocity of 6.5 km/s…
We investigate facility effects on a reduced-scale gridded ion thruster plume using a fully kinetic, three-dimensional Particle-in-Cell/Monte Carlo Collision (PIC-MCC) solver coupled with a Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) neutral…
Plasma chemistry of main air components is implemented in a hybrid 2D axisymmetric simulation code to assess the air-breathing concept in an electrodeless plasma thruster. Relevant electron-heavy species collisions for diatomic molecules…
Simulations of high-density deuterium plasmas in a lower single-null magnetic configuration based on a TCV discharge are presented. We evolve the dynamics of three charged species (electrons, D$^{+}$ and D$_{2}^{+}$), interacting with two…
Traditional expressions and definitions describing performance of plasma thrusters, including the thrust, specific impulse, and the thruster efficiency, assume a steady state plasma flow with a constant flow velocity. However, it is very…
We present a method for including steady-state gas flows in the plasma physics code Cloudy, which was previously restricted to modeling static configurations. The numerical algorithms are described in detail, together with an example…
We calculate the breathing mode frequency $\omega$ in a one-dimensional Bose gas confined to a harmonic trap of frequency $\omega_z$. We predict Exciting temporal oscillations of the density distribution is a high-precision method for…
We show that the Hall scale in a weakly ionized plasma depends on the fractional ionization of the medium and, Hall MHD description becomes important whenever the ion-neutral collision frequency is comparable to the ion-gyration frequency,…
An algorithm to obtain data-driven models of oscillatory phenomena in plasma space propulsion systems is presented, based on sparse regression (SINDy) and Pareto front analysis. The algorithm can incorporate physical constraints, use data…
Magnetic nozzles are a key component of electrodeless plasma thrusters, acting as their main acceleration stage. Non-stationary phenomena common to the entire range of $E \times B$ devices, such as oscillations and instabilities, are likely…
A multi-species magnetized collisional nonthermal plasma system containing inertial ion species, non-inertial electron species following nonthermal $\kappa-$ distribution, and immobile dust particles, is considered to examine the…