AI 中文总结
研究磁拱结构中无电极推进器簇的等离子体羽流特性，用静电探针在两个正交对称平面测量相关参数，发现能提取等离子体射流，其离子能量降低，有势垒和较热电子，离子电流分布呈双峰，羽流会因磁场方向偏转。
AI 中文摘要
将具有相反磁极性的无电极等离子体推进器成对聚类，为扩大未来任务的推进系统提供了一种简便方法，还能相互抵消各自的磁偶极。它们的磁喷嘴合并形成一种新拓扑结构‘磁拱’，其等离子体羽流发散比两个单独的磁喷嘴更低。本工作用静电探针（朗缪尔探针、法拉第杯和减速电位分析仪）对两个电子回旋共振推进器簇的全封闭磁拱内的等离子体膨胀进行了表征。在不同运行条件下，在装置的两个正交对称平面上测量了静电势、等离子体密度、电子温度、离子电流和能量。结果表明，即使从这种磁结构中也能提取等离子体射流，不过离子能量有所降低。磁拱中心部分存在轻微的势垒和较热的电子。离子电流分布在水平面上呈双峰，可能对应每个推进器的子束。氙质量流率和输入功率的趋势与无电极等离子体推进器的预期一致。根据施加磁场的方向，羽流会向上或向下偏转，这可能归因于磁拱中横向电子漂移的影响。
英文摘要
Clustering electrodeless plasma thrusters in pairs with opposing magnetic polarities offers an easy means to scale-up the propulsion system of future missions, and also, to mutually cancel their respective magnetic dipoles. Their magnetic nozzles merges to form a new topology, the `magnetic arch', which can yield a lower plasma plume divergence than two separate magnetic nozzles. This work characterizes the plasma expansion in the fully-closed magnetic arch of a cluster of two electron-cyclotron resonance thrusters with electrostatic probes (Langmuir probes, Faraday cups, and a Retarding Potential Analyzer). Electrostatic potential, plasma density, electron temperature, ion current and energy are measured in the two orthogonal planes of symmetry of the setup for various operating conditions. Results show that a plasma jet can be extracted even from this magnetic configuration, albeit with a reduced ion energy. A slight potential hill and hotter electrons exist in the central part of the arch. Ion current profiles are doubly-peaked in the horizontal plane, likely corresponding to the beamlet of each thruster. Trends with xenon mass flow rate and input power are consistent with the expectations of electrodeless plasma thrusters. The plume experiences an upward or downward deflection depending on the direction of the applied magnetic field, which could be attributed to the effect of the lateral electron drifts in the magnetic arch.
Comments14 pages, 8 figures, preprint
