Diagnostic Setup for Characterization of Near-anode Processes in Hall Thrusters
Authors: L. Dorf, Y. Raitses, and N.J. Fisch
Date of PPPL Report: September 2003
To be published in: the May 2004 issue of Review of Scientific Instruments with the title "Electrostatic Probe Apparatus for Measurements in the Near-anode region of Hall Thrusters."
A diagnostic setup for characterization of near-anode processes in Hall-current plasma thrusters consisting of biased and emissive electrostatic probes, high-precision positioning system and low-noise electronic circuitry was developed and tested. Experimental results show that radial probe insertion does not cause perturbations to the discharge and therefore can be used for accurate near-anode measurements.