Triple Langmuir probe measurements in a low-energy tongue-flared configuration plasma thruster

Abstract

The pulsed plasma thruster is a type of electric propulsion, which has attracted a lot of interest due to its application in microsatellite. In this study, a side-fed, tongue-flared configuration PPT is operated at 2 J and a triple Langmuir probe is used to measure the plasma characteristics, namely electron temperature, Te and electron density, ne. These measurements were carried out in both perpendicular and parallel planes to the thruster electrode. The radial profiles of plasma expulsion in both planes were also measured and compared. The mean ion velocity was calculated from the plasma transit times from the teflon target where surface discharge was first initiated to the probe positions. These plasma characteristics were compared to other systems operated over a wide range of energy.