Stationary plasma thruster simulation

A two-dimensional in space and three-dimensional in velocity, fully kinetic particle-in-cell (PIC) model of the atom (Xe), ion (Xe+) and electron dynamics of a stationary plasma thruster is developed. Electron-neutral elastic scattering, excitation and ionization processes are modelled by Monte Carlo collision methodology. The interaction of the plasma discharge with the ceramic walls leads to plasma recombination, energy loss and secondary electron. These phenomena are included into the model by different approaches. The electric field is self-consistently solved from the Poisson equation, while the magnetostatic field is precomputed. The code is applied to a scaled SPT thruster geometry where fundamental physics parameters are kept constant. The model is found to be able to reproduce the discharge ignition dynamics. The numerical results will provide a better understanding of the experimentally observed enhanced axial electron current and high frequency oscillations. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.