Analysis of the formation of ion beams in varying electric fields of a stationary plasma thruster

We propose a technique for analyzing the distribution function of the velocity components (radial V r and azimuthal V φ) of ions in a beam. This technique is used for studying the ion beam emerging from a stationary plasma thruster (SPT). It is shown that the beam contains ions with a radial velocity component in the range V r /V z = − 1.2 to +0.74, as well as ions with the azimuthal velocity component in the range V ϕ/V z = ±0.9. Numerical calculations lead to the conclusion that ions acquire the azimuthal velocity component in the field of the azimuthal wave of the plasma potential evolving in the SPT channel.