Plasma and Fusion Research

Volume 13, 1306016 (2018)

Letters

Thomson Scattering Measurement of Laser-Produced Plasma in a Magnetic Thrust Chamber
Yutaro ITADANI, Taichi MORITA1), Naoya SAITO, Masafumi EDAMOTO, Tomihiko KOJIMA, Mariko TAKAGI2), Keisuke NAGASHIMA2), Shinsuke FUJIOKA3), Akifumi YOGO3), Hiroaki NISHIMURA3), Atushi SUNAHARA4), Yoshitaka MORI5), Tomoyuki JOHZAKI6), Hideki NAKASHIMA1) and Naoji YAMAMOTO1)
Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, Kasuga 826-8550, Japan
1)
Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, Kasuga 826-8550, Japan
2)
Faculity of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
3)
Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Japan
4)
Center for Materials Under Extreme Environment, School of Nuclear Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
5)
The Graduate School for the Creation of New Photonics Industries, Hamamatsu 431-1202, Japan
6)
Hiroshima University, Higashi Hiroshima 739-0046, Japan
(Received 19 December 2017 / Accepted 13 February 2018 / Published 23 March 2018)

Abstract

Laser fusion rocket is one of the candidate propulsion devices for Mars exploration. It obtains thrust from the interaction between plasma and magnetic field and this propulsion system is called magnetic thrust chamber. We constructed a spectrometer with high wavelength resolution of 35 pm to obtain plasma parameters by measuring ion feature of laser Thomson scattering from a laser-produced plasma in a magnetic thrust chamber. We obtain the plasma parameters such as electron temperature, electron density, and velocity as well as the plasma density structure showing the stagnation of the plasma by magnetic field.

Keywords

Thomson scattering, laser fusion rocket, magnetic thrust chamber, high-power laser, ablation plasma

DOI: 10.1585/pfr.13.1306016

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