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Physics of Plasmas / Volume 17 / Issue 4 / ARTICLES / Low-Temperature Plasmas, Plasma Applications, Plasma Sources, Sheaths

Phys. Plasmas 17, 043509 (2010); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3389205 (19 pages)

Observations of single-pass ion cyclotron heating in a trans-sonic flowing plasma

E. A. Bering1, F. R. Chang Díaz2, J. P. Squire2, T. W. Glover2, M. D. Carter2, G. E. McCaskill2, B. W. Longmier2, M. S. Brukardt3, W. J. Chancery4, and V. T. Jacobson5

1Department of Physics and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204-5005, USA
2Ad Astra Rocket Company, Webster, Texas 77598, USA
3Department of Physics, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204, USA
4Space Exploration Technologies, McGregor, Texas 76657, USA
5Electric Propulsion Laboratory, Inc., Monument, Colorado 80132, USA

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(Received 28 December 2009; accepted 23 March 2010; published online 29 April 2010)

The VAriable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR®) is a high power electric spacecraft propulsion system, capable of Isp/thrust modulation at constant power [ F. R. Chang Díaz et al., Proceedings of the 39th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, Reno, NV, 8–11 Jan. 2001 ]. The VASIMR® uses a helicon discharge to generate plasma. This plasma is energized by an rf booster stage that uses left hand polarized slow mode waves launched from the high field side of the ion cyclotron resonance. In the experiments reported in this paper, the booster uses 2–4 MHz waves with up to 50 kW of power. This process is similar to the ion cyclotron heating (ICH) in tokamaks, but in the VASIMR® the ions only pass through the resonance region once. The rapid absorption of ion cyclotron waves has been predicted in recent theoretical studies. These theoretical predictions have been supported with several independent measurements in this paper. The single-pass ICH produced a substantial increase in ion velocity. Pitch angle distribution studies showed that this increase took place in the resonance region where the ion cyclotron frequency was roughly equal to the frequency on the injected rf waves. Downstream of the resonance region the perpendicular velocity boost should be converted to axial flow velocity through the conservation of the first adiabatic invariant as the magnetic field decreases in the exhaust region of the VASIMR®. This paper will review all of the single-pass ICH ion acceleration data obtained using deuterium in the first VASIMR® physics demonstrator machine, the VX-50. During these experiments, the available power to the helicon ionization stage increased from 3 to 20+ kW. The increased plasma density produced increased plasma loading of the ICH coupler. Starting with an initial demonstration of single-pass ion cyclotron acceleration, the experiments demonstrate significant improvements in coupler efficiency and in ion heating efficiency. In deuterium plasma, ≥ 80% efficient absorption of 20 kW of ICH input power was achieved. No clear evidence for power limiting instabilities in the exhaust beam has been observed.

© 2010 American Institute of Physics

Article Outline

  1. INTRODUCTION
  2. EXPERIMENT
    1. VASIMR ® engine
      1. Helicon discharge
      2. ICH rf booster
    2. Diagnostics
      1. Retarding potential analyzer
    3. Plasma loading
  3. ION CYCLOTRON HEATING
    1. Low density discharge, 1.5 kW ICH
      1. ICH power scans
    2. Increased plasma density
      1. 8.3 kW helicon discharge, 1.5 kW ICH
      2. 20 kW helicon discharge, 1.5 kW ICH
    3. Increased plasma density, 20 kW ICH
  4. CONCLUSIONS

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KEYWORDS and PACS

Keywords

discharges (electric), plasma accelerators, plasma flow, plasma radiofrequency heating, plasma waves, space vehicles

PACS

  • 52.75.Di

    Ion and plasma propulsion

  • 52.50.Qt

    Plasma heating by radio-frequency fields; ICR, ICP, helicons

  • 52.35.Hr

    Electromagnetic waves (e.g., electron-cyclotron, Whistler, Bernstein, upper hybrid, lower hybrid)

ARTICLE DATA

Digital Object Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3389205

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN

1070-664X (print)  
1089-7674 (online)

Publisher

$abstract.society.value is a Member of CrossRef American Institute of Physics

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