Modelling studies of charged particle interactions for a space application
An electron emitter neutraliser to prevent spacecraft charging from the use of positive ion thrusters is under development at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. A particle-in-cell code, KARAT, has been used to simulate laboratory experiments, Laboratory test results have been successfully obtained...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2004
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| Summary: | An electron emitter neutraliser to prevent spacecraft charging from the use of positive ion thrusters is under development at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. A particle-in-cell code, KARAT, has been used to simulate laboratory experiments, Laboratory test results have been successfully obtained with simulations, for model verification. Neutraliser-ion thruster interactions in space have also been modelled. An ion-propelled spacecraft rapidly charges to kilovolt potentials, which can be dissipated by an electron-emitting neutraliser. The effect of background particle concentrations on neutralisation has also been studied. |
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