Plasma and Fusion Research
Volume 10, 3406052 (2015)
Regular Articles
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-05 Aoba-yama, Sendai 980-8579, Japan
Abstract
A radiofrequency (RF) plasma source was developed for space propulsion using an FET based RF inverter power supply with a power of 15 kW. The operating frequency of the RF power supply was approximately 200 kHz. By adjusting the magnetic field strength near the RF antenna to around 10 mT, we achieved high density argon plasma on the order of 1019 m−3. The plasma passed through a region of strong magnetic field (approaching 1 T), provided by a pulsed capacitor bank for ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH). The plasma radius was reduced by the converging magnetic field, and the high plasma density was retained in the downstream ICRH region.
Keywords
RF plasma, plasma thruster, VASIMR, high density plasma, FET inverter, magnetic nozzle
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This paper may be cited as follows:
Yusuke HOSHINO, Takayoshi ISHIYAMA, Atsushi KOMURO, Kazunori TAKAHASHI and Akira ANDO, Plasma Fusion Res. 10, 3406052 (2015).