PIC-MCC Simulation of Electrodeless Plasma Thruster with Rotating Electric Field

Abstract

Two-dimensional simulations of Lissajous acceleration were conducted by a code based on Particle-In-Cell (PIC) method and Monte Carlo Collision (MCC) method for understanding plasma motion inaccelerationarea of an electrodeless plasma thruster and for finding the optimal condition. Obtained results showthat azimuthal current depends on a ratio of electron drift radius to plasma region length, and peak value is in proportion to AC frequency. To eliminate a disturbance on rotating mode due to electron cyclotron motion, the cyclotron frequency should be much higher than the AC frequency. When the high density plasma reduces electric field penetration, the azimuthal current is suppressed in a low level. In order to improve the electric field penetration, we should apply the high magnetic field and the high AC frequency. When a ratio of the collision frequency between electron and neutral argon to the cyclotron frequency is lower than 0.01, collisional loss of the azimuthal current is little or nothing.