Hall field plasma accelerator with an inner and outer anode

摘要

A Hall field plasma accelerator with closed electron drift includes a composite anode including a housing with inner and outer walls which form an outer anode and an inner anode forming inner and outer distribution zones; the housing is electrically conductive and has an upstream end and an exit port electrically insulated from the housing; the composite anode includes an input distribution system for introducing plasma gas into the distribution zones; poles establish a magnetic field across the exit port and a cathode establishes an electron flow through the magnetic field toward the composite anode and creates an electric field through the exit port; the electrons ionize the plasma gas that is accelerated by the electric field through the exit port.