Study of the effects of the magnetic field topology on the design of a prototype ECR microwave ion thruster and neutralizer

Abstract

This study examines the phenomenon of electron cyclotron resonance which is utilized in microwave discharge ion thrusters and neutralizers, and the effects of magnetic field topology on plasma and thruster parameters. Various designs from the literature that use permanent magnets to create a static magnetic field are investigated, their magnetic field topologies are solved and compared. ECR regions with respect to different microwave frequencies are plotted. Further study regarding the numerical plasma modeling based on the topology is explained, the numerical technique behind is described.