Enhancing Micro-Cathode Arc Thruster (muCAT) Plasma Generation to Analyze Magnetic Field Angle Effects on Sheath Formation in Hall Thrusters

Using a Delta IV or Atlas V launch vehicle to send a payload into Low Earth Orbit can cost between ;The muCAT is an electric propulsion device that ablates solid cathode material, through an electrical arc discharge, to create plasma and ultimately produce thrust. About 90% of the arc discharge current is conducted by electrons, which go toward heating the anode and contribute very little to thrust, with only the remaining 10% going toward thrust in the form of ion current. I will discuss the results of an experiment in which electron heating on a low melting point anode was shown to increase ion current, which theoretically should increase thrust levels at low frequencies.;Another feature of the muCAT is the use of an external magnetic solenoid which increases thrust, ion current, and causes uniform cathode erosion. An experiment has shown that efficiency can also be increased by removing the external magnetic field power supply and, instead, utilizing the residual arc current to power the magnetic solenoid.;A Hall Thruster is a type of electric propulsion device that accelerates ions across an electric potential between an anode and magnetically trapped electrons. The limiting factor in Hall Thruster operation is the lifetime of the wall material. During operation, a positively charged layer forms over the surface of the walls, known as a plasma sheath, which contributes to wall erosion. Therefore, by reducing or eliminating the sheath layer, Hall Thruster operational lifetime can increase. Computational modeling has shown that large magnetic field angles and large perpendicular electric fields reduce sheath thickness. I will discuss the results of an experiment that seems to confirm this expectation, using the enhanced muCAT as a plasma source and an array of Langmuir probes to measure sheath changes under various magnetic field incidence angles.