Investigations of Probe Induced Perturbations in a Hall Thruster
Authors: D. Staack, Y. Raitses, and N.J. Fisch
Date of PPPL Report: August 2002
Presented at: the AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE 38th International Joint Propulsion Conference in Indianapolis, IN, July 7-10, 2002.
An electrostatic probe used to measure spatial plasma parameters in a Hall thruster generates perturbations of the plasma. These perturbations are examined by varying the probe material, penetration distance, residence time, and the nominal thruster conditions. The study leads us to recommendations for probe design and thruster operating conditions to reduce discharge perturbations, including metal shielding of the probe insulator and operation of the thruster at lower densities.