NDLI: A Theoretical Analysis of Vacuum Arc Thruster and Vacuum Arc Ion Thruster Performance

Content Provider	IEEE Xplore Digital Library
Author	Polk, J.E. Sekerak, M.J. Ziemer, J.K. Schein, J. Niansheng Qi Anders, A.
Copyright Year	1973
Abstract	Thrusters that exploit vacuum arc discharges to produce high-velocity plasma jets directly or as sources of plasma that is subsequently accelerated electrostatically have been proposed or are currently under development. Vacuum arc discharges exhibit certain regularities in their behavior that allow the performance of these thrusters to be described by simple semiempirical models. Empirical data on the current density distribution, charge state and velocity of ions created in vacuum arc discharges, and the total cathode mass loss rate are used to develop expressions for the expected thrust and specific impulse as a function of thruster geometry. Thruster electrical efficiency and thrust-to-power ratio are calculated based on measurements of the burning voltage for given thruster operating parameters. Estimates of achievable thruster performance for a wide range of cathode materials are presented. This analysis suggests that thrusters using vacuum arc sources can be operated efficiently with a range of propellant options that gives great flexibility in specific impulse. In addition, the efficiency of plasma production in these devices appears to be largely independent of scale because the metal vapor is ionized within tens of micrometers of the cathode electron emission sites, so this approach is well suited for micropropulsion.
Sponsorship	IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society
Starting Page	2167
Ending Page	2179
Page Count	13
File Size	1309223
File Format	PDF
ISSN	00933813
Volume Number	36
Issue Number	5
Language	English
Publisher	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
Publisher Date	2008-10-01
Publisher Place	U.S.A.
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Rights Holder	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
Subject Keyword	Vacuum arcs Performance analysis Arc discharges Plasma sources Cathodes Plasma accelerators Plasma density Acceleration Current density Geometry vacuum arcs plasma arc devices space vehicle propulsion
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Nuclear and High Energy Physics Condensed Matter Physics

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

Modeling of a Microscale Short Vacuum Arc for a Space Propulsion Thruster

Measurements of the total ion flux from vacuum arc cathode spots

Influence of Cathode Shape on Vacuum Arc Thruster Performance and Operation

Ion acceleration in vacuum arc cathode plasma jets with large rates of current rise

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Plasma of Vacuum Discharges: The Pursuit of Elevating Metal Ion Charge States, Including a Recent Record of Producing Bi¹³⁺

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