Poisson-Vlasov Modeling of Parallel Cylinders in Ionospheric Plasmas

Bare electrodynamic tethers have been proposed for two important space applications: in-orbit propellantless propulsion [1,2] and remediation of Earth-bound radiation belts through the scattering of high-energy electrons leading to their accelerated precipitation [3–5]. The latter application is oftentimes referred to as space remediation. In both applications, the use of multiple parallel conducting wires is being considered. Such a multistrand structure would provide improved survivability to collisions with micrometeroid. Additionally, since sheath size is roughly a function of the total amount of linear surface charge held on the tether system [6], a multi-wire structure might allow for the formation of the large plasma sheath required for effective scattering in the space remediation application, at a reduced cost in terms of expended power due to the increased capacitance provided by the relative proximity of parallel wires. In an effort to get a basic understanding of the physics of plasma-immersed multi-wire conductive structures, we consider in this paper a structure consisting of two parallel, identical round cylinders with equal potential bias. Both cylinders have a radius r0 and their centers are spaced apart by a distance ∆x. Section II presents an overview of the theory used in our plasma solvers. Section III presents our simulation results.