A Hall probe diagnostic for low density plasma accelerators

Matthew T. Domonkos, Alec D. Gallimore, Sven G. Bilén

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

A Hall probe diagnostic was developed for use with plasma thrusters. The Hall generators were mounted at the end of a stainless steel tube heat exchanger. Ceramic cement and a Pyrex tube were used as radiation and particle flux shields, respectively. A thermocouple was used to monitor the temperature of the Hall generator. The low voltage output from the probe was amplified within one meter of the transducer to minimize the effect of noise pick up. A National Institute of Standards and Technology traceable Gaussmeter provided an absolute reference for calibration, and relative calibrations were performed both in a strong electric field and in situ during thruster operation to approximate the conditions in the discharge. The overall accuracy of the diagnostic was ±6 G. The probes were tested with a Hall-effect thruster, and provided sufficiently accurate data to estimate the magnitude of the closed-drift electron current.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2546-2549
Number of pages4
JournalReview of Scientific Instruments
Volume69
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 1998

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Instrumentation

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