Plasma dynamics of Hall thrusters under pulsating operation

Abstract

In this study, the evolution of the plasma parameters of a Hall thruster under the pulsating operation was investigated using the particle-in-cell (PIC) model. The results show that the current waveform of the simulation results was almost the same as that of the experimental results under the same pulse parameters and working conditions. The average thrust of the simulation results was close to the experimentally measured thrust, so the accuracy of the simulation model was confirmed. The peak thrust of the Hall thruster under pulsating operation was approximately three times that under direct current (DC) operation. The simulation results show that the ionization rate increases rapidly under pulsating operation and is several times higher than that under DC operation. An increase in the number of ions led to an increase in the discharge current. Meanwhile, owing to the increase in the potential drop in the acceleration zone of the Hall thruster under pulsating operation, the ion acceleration effect was improved. These are the main reasons for the rapid increase in the instantaneous thrust during the pulsating operation.