Abstract
The behavior of the plasma within an oscillating-e lectron ion engine was investigated in detail. It was found that certain conditions of gas pressure, magnetic field strength, and cathode emission current are required to maintain the accelerating electrostatic field in the plasma within the engine. In addition, the investigation revealed two types of transient phenomena in the discharge which can occur under certain conditions. The first is a pulsing or fluctuating mode of operation which appears to be caused by depletion of gas within the engine due to the pumping action of the discharge. The second is an azimuthal rotation of plasma perturbations in the range of frequencies of 10 to 50 kc as a result of E?- X Bz/Z?2 drifts. There is a possibility that this rotation may result in an enhanced diffusion of electrons across the containing magnetic field and hence contribute to engine power losses.
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