Volumetric Langmuir probe mapping of a transient pulsed plasma thruster plume

William Yeong Liang LING (林永樑); Shuai LIU (刘帅); Xiangyang LIU (刘向阳); Zhiwen WU (武志文); Ningfei WANG (王宁飞)

doi:10.1088/2058-6272/ab90e2

Plasma Science and Technology > 2020 > 22(9): 94010-094010. > DOI: 10.1088/2058-6272/ab90e2

William Yeong Liang LING (林永樑), Shuai LIU (刘帅), Xiangyang LIU (刘向阳), Zhiwen WU (武志文), Ningfei WANG (王宁飞). Volumetric Langmuir probe mapping of a transient pulsed plasma thruster plume[J]. Plasma Science and Technology, 2020, 22(9): 94010-094010. DOI: 10.1088/2058-6272/ab90e2

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Volumetric Langmuir probe mapping of a transient pulsed plasma thruster plume

School of Aerospace Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, People's Republic of China

Funds: This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11802022) and the Beijing Institute of Technology Research Fund Program for Young Scholars.

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Received Date: January 15, 2020
Revised Date: April 29, 2020
Accepted Date: May 05, 2020

Graphical Abstract

Abstract

Abstract

The triple Langmuir probe enables measurements of the transient plasma parameters over time at a point of interest. We demonstrate how these measurements can be easily combined to obtain a visualization of the overall plasma behavior of a pulsed plasma thruster. Through this, it is possible to identify features in the expansion of the plasma such as the canting angle of the plume. We also identified the early arrival of a negatively canted low-density plasma plume. The 2D profiles also reveal data that would otherwise be obscured by other planes in optical measurements.
- Langmuir probe,
- pulsed plasma thruster,
- micropropulsion,
- electron density,
- plasmaexpansion

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References (27)

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