PPPL-3622 is available in pdf or postscript formats.

High-frequency Probing Diagnostic for Hall Current Plasma Thrusters

Authors: A.A. Litvak, Y. Raitses, and N.J. Fisch

Date of PPPL Report: October 2001

Published in: Review of Scientific Instruments 73 (August 2002) 2882-2885.

High-frequency oscillations (1-100 MHz) in Hall thrusters have apparently eluded significant experimental scrutiny. A diagnostic setup, consisting of single Langmuir probe, special shielded probe connector-positioner, and electronic impedance-matching circuit, was successfully built and calibrated. Through simultaneous high-frequency probing of the Hall thruster plasma at multiple locations, high-frequency plasma waves have been identified and characterized for various thruster operating conditions.