Three-Dimensional Kinetic Dispersion Relation Of Partially Magnetized Plasma

Abstract

Kinetic instabilities, such as electron cyclotron drift instability (ECDI) and ion-ion two stream instability (IITSI), occur in partially magnetized, low-temperature plasmas. These instabilities have been shown to enhance cross-field electron transport in cross-field plasma devices, such as Hall-effect thrusters. Previous work using particle-in-cell simulations by Hara and Tsikata [1] showed the enhancement of cross-field electron transport due to the multidimensional plasma waves initiated by the coupling of the ECDI and IITSI in a two-dimensional configuration, in the absence of dynamics parallel to the magnetic field. However, the theoretical description of the nonlinear, three-dimensional coupling of these instabilities is not well understood. If dynamics parallel to the magnetic field are considered, ECDI becomes more broadband, which is similar to the instabilities seen in various Hall-effect thruster experiments. In this talk, we will present the development of a general three-dimensional kinetic dispersion solver to obtain the angular frequency and growth rates of the 3D instabilities using complex root finding. The effects of plasma parameters, such as the ExB drift velocity and doubly-charged ion fraction, on the coupling of different kinetic instabilities are investigated.