Understanding In-Chamber Plasma Behavior Using a Dimensionally Scaled Gridded Ion Thruster in Three-Dimensional Kinetic Particle-in-Cell Simulations
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arXiv
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| Autores principales: | , |
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| Formato: | Preprint |
| Publicado: |
2025
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| _version_ | 1866918208052658176 |
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| author | Lim, Gyuha Levin, Deborah |
| author_facet | Lim, Gyuha Levin, Deborah |
| contents | We investigate facility effects on a reduced-scale gridded ion thruster plume using a fully kinetic, three-dimensional Particle-in-Cell/Monte Carlo Collision (PIC-MCC) solver coupled with a Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) neutral background. This approach enables detailed examination of key plasma processes governing beam neutralization and wall interactions under ground-test conditions. We find that inelastic electron cooling is essential for achieving a physically consistent, neutralized beam. Increasing the background pressure enhances ion-neutral collisions, leading to more charge- and momentum-exchange events that reduce ion mean energies, broaden the beam, and increase sidewall losses. Including inelastic processes flattens the potential, sustains quasi-neutrality, and preserves beam collimation farther downstream. Single-particle trajectory analyses show that primary electrons undergo mixed escape and temporary trapping, while low energy post-inelastic electrons remain confined, sustaining the neutralization cloud. Sheath diagnostics reveal that at the beam dump, classical Child-Langmuir and Hutchinson models underpredict the sheath length due to residual electrons, while near the sidewall, the sheath is truncated by beam-sheath interference within the compact domain. Current-flow analysis indicates that higher background pressure conditions yield lower beam energies and increased sidewall currents. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_14036 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Understanding In-Chamber Plasma Behavior Using a Dimensionally Scaled Gridded Ion Thruster in Three-Dimensional Kinetic Particle-in-Cell Simulations Lim, Gyuha Levin, Deborah Plasma Physics Computational Physics We investigate facility effects on a reduced-scale gridded ion thruster plume using a fully kinetic, three-dimensional Particle-in-Cell/Monte Carlo Collision (PIC-MCC) solver coupled with a Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) neutral background. This approach enables detailed examination of key plasma processes governing beam neutralization and wall interactions under ground-test conditions. We find that inelastic electron cooling is essential for achieving a physically consistent, neutralized beam. Increasing the background pressure enhances ion-neutral collisions, leading to more charge- and momentum-exchange events that reduce ion mean energies, broaden the beam, and increase sidewall losses. Including inelastic processes flattens the potential, sustains quasi-neutrality, and preserves beam collimation farther downstream. Single-particle trajectory analyses show that primary electrons undergo mixed escape and temporary trapping, while low energy post-inelastic electrons remain confined, sustaining the neutralization cloud. Sheath diagnostics reveal that at the beam dump, classical Child-Langmuir and Hutchinson models underpredict the sheath length due to residual electrons, while near the sidewall, the sheath is truncated by beam-sheath interference within the compact domain. Current-flow analysis indicates that higher background pressure conditions yield lower beam energies and increased sidewall currents. |
| title | Understanding In-Chamber Plasma Behavior Using a Dimensionally Scaled Gridded Ion Thruster in Three-Dimensional Kinetic Particle-in-Cell Simulations |
| topic | Plasma Physics Computational Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.14036 |