Simulation of a helicon plasma source in a magnetoplasma rocket engine

摘要

The helicon plasma source,which generates high thrust and high impulse,is of vital importance for magnetoplasma rocket engines.In this work,a multi-component,two-dimensional,axisymmetric fluid model coupled with an electromagnetic field was developed to model the helicon discharge.The simulation results demonstrate that:(i)the discharge mode changes twice—each conversion is accompanied by a plasma density jump and an electron temperature peak in the discharge;(ii)when the input current increases,the plasma density increases,and ionization occurs faster;(iii)the background magnetic field clearly enhances the discharge;(iv)the plasma density may be smaller if the discharge has not entered the wave mode.