Time-resolved ion velocity measurements in a high-power Hall thruster using laser-induced fluorescence with transfer function averaging

Abstract

We present time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence measurements of ion velocity distributions in a 12.5 kW Hall Effect Rocket with Magnetic Shielding (HERMeS) operating in both quasi-periodic and aperiodic oscillation regimes. Transfer function averaging in Fourier space is used to obtain useable signal-to-noise ratios and synchronize data traces taken at different laser wavelengths, measurement axes, and positions in the plasma, achieving a measurement bandwidth of ∼100 kHz. For breathing-mode like global oscillations, the results are shown to be robust to the choice of either discharge current Id(t) or cathode-to-ground voltage Vcg(t) as the reference waveform input to the transfer function. At discharge voltage Vd=600 V, a nearly periodic, impulsive oscillation in the acceleration zone position was accompanied by a ≳100 V peak-to-peak oscillation in the near-plume plasma potential. Smaller amplitude, aperiodic oscillations in the mean ion velocities were detected at Vd=300 V.