An Experimental Study of a Electromagnetic Plasma Accelerator Pulsed

Y. C. Francis Thio, R. Eskridge, M. Lee, J. Smith, A. Martin, T. E. Markusic, Jason T. Cassibry xNASA Marshall Space Flight CenterAbstractExperiments are being performed on the NASA MarshallSpace Flight Center (MSFC) pulsed electromagneticplasma accelerator (PEPA-O). Data produced from theexperiments provide an opportunity to furtherunderstand the plasma dynamics in these thrusters viadetailed computational modeling. The detailed andaccurate understanding of the plasma dynamics in thesedevices holds the key towards extending theircapabilities in a number of applications, including theirapplications as high power (> 1 MW) thrusters, andtheir use for producing high-velocity, uniform plasmajets for experimental purposes. For this study, the 2-DMHD modeling code, MACH2, is used to providedetailed interpretation of the experimental data. At thesame time, a O-D physics model of the plasma initialphase is developed to guide our 2-D modeling studies.returns to the capacitor bank via the other electrode. Thecurrent following in the electrodes generates anazimuthal magnetic field in the region between theelectrodes. This magnetic field acts on the plasmacurrent to produce the electromagnetic j x B (Lorentz)force on the plasma, accelerating the plasma down thetube. In a real device, the PPT displays a wide range ofcomplexity in the plasma behavior.