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Experimental investigation of a low-energy linear plasma propulsion

device
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Japanese Journal of Applied Physics 59, 106001 (2020) REGULAR PAPER
https://doi.org/10.35848/1347-4065/abb2e3

Experimental investigation of a low-energy linear plasma propulsion device

Kamal M. Ahmed, Fathy B. Diab, Walid H. Gaber, Fawzia A. Ebrahim, and Mohamed E. Abdel-kader*
Plasma and Nuclear Fusion Department, Nuclear Research Center—Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, Inshaas, Abu Zaabal, 13759, Egypt
*
E-mail: m.e.m.abdelkader@gmail.com
Received June 7, 2020; revised August 12, 2020; accepted August 26, 2020; published online September 15, 2020

This paper presents preliminary results for a new design of a pulsed linear plasma device that generates electromagnetic plasma propulsion. The
current sheath dynamics and the plasma propulsion along an extension tube have been studied. Breakdown of helium gas occurs between coaxial
electrodes when applying a high-voltage pulse. This paper presents measurements with a number of probes, as well as camera images of the
plasma propagation. A plasma is ejected and fills a 40 cm length extension tube. Additionally, the measurements show that the length of the
propelled plasma column and its intensity inside the expansion tube is increased by increasing the charging voltage, while the plasma propulsion
current is decreased along the extension tube. It is noted that a lower critical time; 4.7 μs, is needed to ionize the gas and form the plasma current
sheath. © 2020 The Japan Society of Applied Physics

1. Introduction
The plasma propulsion has been reported in several pieces of
research of high-density plasma in the last two decades.1–3)
The plasma propulsion can be classified according to the
device input power to low-energy (few kJ)4) and high-energy
plasma propulsion (>50 kJ).5) Pulsed electromagnetic pro-
pulsion devices usually use an intense surge of electrical
current to create a high-speed jet of plasma6) which can
provide many advantages over the fusion-based thruster
concepts and may be possible in the near-term and fusion
space thruster based on the flow-stabilized Z-pinch.7) The
pulsed plasma propulsion can be generated by Z-pinch,8)
flow stabilized Z-pinch7) and dense plasma focus.9)
The principle of linear plasma propulsion (LPP) as Z-pinch
and high dense plasma focus is to run high currents through a
plasma over short timescales (∼μs).7,8) Additionally, it
provides many of the desired features for a fusion space
thruster such as a linear device, no external field coils, high
specific power, and high plasma density. It produces plasma
that can be easily confined by an induced magnetic field to
produce a high-density plasma column.2,10) The produced
dense plasma column can lead LPP to be used for fusion
reactors and X-ray production.
LPP device consists of a plasma column with an axial current.
This current generates an azimuthal magnetic field. In this
facility, the self-azimuthal magnetic field provides
confinement,11) where the azimuthal magnetic field and the axial
current result in a Lorentz force on the plasma that radially
compresses the plasma column. The plasma propulsion in this
experiment is generated by coupling a coaxial acceleration
region with a pinch assembly region containing an axial plasma
flow.4) The variation in the azimuthal magnetic field produces an
axial velocity and accelerates the current sheath (CS) between
the two electrodes of the LPP device. To understand the physics
and behavior of the plasma propulsion device, the CS dynamics
should be studied. These dynamics have been reported for
different configurations such as the: θ-pinch,12,13) Z-pinch,14,15)
plasma focus,16–19) plasma gun18–20) and coaxial plasma.21,22)
The plasma formation has been investigated in a pulsed
coaxial plasma by means of the magnetic field distribution
along the electrodes using the magnetic probe
measurements.23) They also reported that the velocity in the
exit of the electrode is high. Additionally, they reported that
106001-1
the initial gas pressure (at least on the range from 0.1 to
1 Torr) has no effect on the average flow velocity but it has a
significant influence on the dynamics of the magnetic field
inside the electrode space.23)
This paper represents the design and the preliminary
results of the LPP device including the measurements of
the inductance and velocity and the investigation of the
plasma jet on the exit of the electrode. The CS dynamics are
the first step towards understanding the electromagnetic
propulsion. One of the best methods to understand the
dynamics of the CS is to measure its velocity with magnetic
probes. Magnetic probes are commonly used as an electro-
physical diagnostic tool in pinch experiments to measure the
current and to estimate the strength of the inductive
notch.24,25) The CS velocity is measured by using a magnetic
probe in the propulsion part of the experiment. With the help
of the current, the plasma exits from the accelerated region to
large velocities regions and forms a long column of linear
plasmas that are over 40 cm long with a radius of 1.5 cm. The
plasma accelerates to the high velocities regions through
applying an externally applied propagating magnetic field,
where a large axial J × B force is generated from the induced
azimuthal current inside the plasma.26)
This paper introduces a novel pulsed linear plasma
propulsion (LPP) source employing a movable central anode.
It investigates the spatial and temporal dynamics of the CS
formed through a high-voltage DC discharge, employing
0.5 Torr of helium. Measurements of the CS dynamics were
performed employing optical and magnetic diagnostics,
measuring the inductance and current sheath subsequent
acceleration of the plasma. Additionally, it demonstrates the
CS acceleration and determines a critical breakdown time-
scale and an effective CS transit timescale for varying applied
voltage amplitudes. The scope of this manuscript is a
preliminary study of the current sheath dynamics in the
LLP device which could be considered as a source of the
propelled plasma. The experimental setup is introduced in
Sect. 2, followed by a description of the CS dynamics
concept in Sect. 3, followed by the results obtained by the
LPP device, and finally a conclusion is placed.
2. Experimental setup
The LPP device has been designed and constructed in the
Plasma and Nuclear Fusion Dept.-NRC-EAEA-to investigate
© 2020 The Japan Society of Applied Physics
Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 59, 106001 (2020)
the CS dynamics and the produced electromagnetic propul-
sion as shown in Fig. 1.
The discharge chamber consists of two copper cylindrical
electrodes. The inner electrode (anode) is a movable solid-
copper cylinder 2 cm in diameter and 18 cm in height. The
outer electrode (cathode) is the device chamber; it is 10 cm in
diameter, 27 cm in height, and 3 mm in thickness. The
distance between the two cylindrical electrodes is fixed at
4 cm. A hemisphere of copper is attached to the anode-end.
An insulator is installed on the bottom of the anode at which
the gas breakdown takes place and the CS is formed, and the
axial phase starts. The insulator is 2.5 cm in length, 2.2 cm in
diameter, and 2 mm in thickness. An expansion tube is
attached to detect and observe the produced electromagnetic
plasma propulsion.
The expansion tube is 40 cm in length, 3 cm in diameter,
and 3 mm in thickness. The vacuum system is equipped with
a rotary pump (Model Alcatel) that evacuates the chamber to
less than 10−3 Torr before injecting the working gas. The
working gas is helium with high purity (∼99.9%).
A capacitor bank of 108 μF is connected to the two
electrodes via an ignitron, and a DC power supply with an
output up to 20 kV and 25 mA is used to charge the capacitor
bank. The maximum input energy is 5.4 kJ, when the
capacitor bank is charged up to 10 kV. Helium gas is injected
between the electrodes to be ionized by discharging the high
energy (stored in the capacitor bank) to form a plasma.
Several diagnostics, such as a potential divider, a Rogowski
coil, and magnetic probes are installed in the experiment to
investigate and acquire the plasma parameters in the LPP
device.
Fig. 1. (Color online) Schematic diagram of the LPP device.
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K. M. Ahmed et al.
An ignitron is used as a fast-triggering and high-perfor-
mance switch to transfer the high stored energy to the
electrode system in the LPP device. The ignitor terminal of
the ignitron is triggered via an electric circuit as shown in
Fig. 2. The circuit consists of a step-up transformer, rectifier,
condenser, ferrite core, and time-delay unit. The transformer
is used to increase the input voltage from 220 to 800 V, and
then this output voltage is rectified to a DC voltage via a
rectifier bridge. This DC voltage is used to charge a low-
inductance condenser of 10 μF via a small resistor of 10 Ω.
Then a silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) is used to deliver the
current to the ignitor terminal. Simultaneously, a delay-time
unit is used (as a controller) to control the time at which
the ignitron is started. This delay supplies an impulse to the
gate of the SCR via a ferrite core.
3. The dynamics of the CS motion
A description of the CS motion is divided into four phases:
the breakdown phase, the axial (accelerator) phase, the radial
angular phase and the electromagnetic propulsion phase as
shown in Fig. 3. First, in the breakdown phase, the helium
gas flows between the electrodes and is ionized by the
applied electric field, as shown in Fig. 3(a), the breakdown
occurs between the bottom of the cathode and the anode
surface (directly above the insulator). This breakdown gen-
erates the plasma between the bottom of the cathode and the
anode surface. Second, in the axial phase, an electric current
radially; Ir flows between the electrodes by the plasma, which
generates an induced magnetic field; Bθ, in the theta direc-
tion. In cylindrical coordinates, the radial current and induced
magnetic field interact to generate a Lorentz force in the
z-direction; Fz, which moves and accelerates the CS up
© 2020 The Japan Society of Applied Physics
Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 59, 106001 (2020) K. M. Ahmed et al.

Fig. 2. (Color online) The triggering electric circuit of the ignitron.

Fig. 3. (Color online) Phases of the plasma dynamics of the LPP device where the dashed line corresponds to the current sheath direction.

towards the anode tip,3) as shown in Fig. 3(b). Then, the
radial angular phase starts when the CS arrives at the end of
the anode.
The CS exhibits axial and radial angular motion, where the
CS moves radially inward to form a conical shape, as shown
in Fig. 3(c). Then, the final plasma continues to move radially
inwards between the anode end and the top of the cathode to
form a complete compressed linear plasma column.
According to the electromagnetic compression, the plasma
exits towards the expansion Pyrex tube to form an electro-
magnetic propulsion jet27) as shown in Fig. 3(d).
4. Results and discussion
The LPP device should be characterized to explore and
acquire the plasma parameters such as the discharge current,
discharge voltage, CS velocity and carry out propulsion
investigations. The total discharge current is measured using
a Rogowski coil and its output is connected to an integrated
circuit. The measurements show that the discharge current
increases with a rise time of 12 μs, which has a constant
value for different gas pressures, and the periodic time
106001-3
(49 μs) is the time required for one cycle of the discharge,
as shown in Fig. 4.
The peak discharge current of the LPP device can be
calculated from:28)
2pCch Vch
Idis,peak = , (1 )
t
where Cch = 108 μF is the capacitance of the bank capacitors,
Vch is the charging voltage and “τ” is the period time of the
discharge. Therefore, at Vch = 5 kV, the peak discharge
current is 69 kA, but the experimental discharge current at
any time of the signal can be calculated by the following
relation:28,29)
2prmax R C
Idis (t ) = Vout (t ) , (2 )
m 0 nA
where n = 200 turns is the number of turns of the Rogowski
coil, A is the area for each turn, rmax is the major radius of the
Rogowski coil, μ0 is the air permeability, and Vout is the
output voltage acquired by the Rogowski coil. The integrated
circuit elements are capacitance; C = 10 nF and resistance;
© 2020 The Japan Society of Applied Physics
Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 59, 106001 (2020)
Fig. 4. (Color online) a Signal traces of the discharge current and the
voltage at 0.5 Torr of He and 5 kV.
R = 98.8 kΩ, so the measured current is 64.7 kA. The discharge
voltage is measured by a potential divider, which is calibrated
by a factor of 200 for the voltage acquired by the oscilloscope
Tektronix Model TDS2014; Vosc (Vdis = 200 Vosc). The spike in
the discharge voltage signal shows that the CS is compressed
inside the LPP device. The peak of the electric
power that flows between the two electrodes is 76 MW for
Vch = 5 kV.
5. The inductance and current sheath velocity
The total circuit inductance; LT of the LPP device can be
estimated by using the value of the periodic time τ, as shown
in Fig. 4; according to the resonance circuit relation, the
circuit inductance is30,31)
LT = t 2/ 4p 2Cch.
The total circuit inductance of the LPP device is 560 nH.
The calculated inductance of the LPP device includes the
inductance of the axial and radial angular phases. The
inductance of the axial phase; La can be calculated by:32)
m 0 fc ⎛ b ⎞
La = ln ⎜ ⎟ z ,
2p ⎝a ⎠
where “b” and “a” are the outer and inner radii of the
electrodes, while “z” is the length of the anode in the axial
phase, where the CS moves from the bottom (zero distance of
the anode) toward the anode tip (10 cm distance of the
anode). fc is the fraction of the current flowing in the piston
due to the shedding effect in which some of the current is left
behind the main CS.18) Figure 5(a) shows the inductance of
the axial phase; the inductance increases with the variation of
the tube length according to Eq. (4). Also, the variation in La
depends on the CS velocity as indicated in Eq. (4). The
inductance of the radial angular phase Lr is deduced
according to the forms of the CS in Fig. 3; therefore, Lr of
the radial angular phase is given by:33)
⎛ cos a ⎞
mfc
Lr = - (b - a) ln ⎜ ⎟,
2p ⎝ cos a 0 ⎠
where α0 is the initial angle and α is the angle of motion of
the CS, (0 ⩽ α ⩽ 90) as shown in Fig. 3. In this phase, the
inductance of the plasma; Lp includes the inductances at the
end of the axial phase (La) and the radial angular phase (Lr),
i.e. Lp = La + Lr. Figure 5(b) illustrates the total inductance
K. M. Ahmed et al.
of the plasma in the radial angular phase as a function of
position, where Lp is increased gradually towards the axis.
Additionally, the variation in Lp depends on the angular
velocity of the CS.
The CS velocity in the LPP device is measured by using
two parallel magnetic probes in the theta direction, where the
distance between these two probes is 2 cm. The CS velocity
is estimated by dividing the distance (2 cm) by the difference
in the time between the two peaks (detected by the two
probes).23,29,34) The CS velocity is estimated from the two
magnetic probes signals which are shown in Fig. 6 at the
operating conditions of 0.5 Torr helium gas pressure and
5 kV charging voltage.
The CS velocity increases gradually upward through the axial
phase due to the Lorentz force. Then, at the end of the anode,
the CS velocity starts to decrease, as shown in Fig. 7 (V1, the CS
velocity in the axial phase). We suggested that the CS has an
angular motion (ω) with a 4 cm radius (r) as shown in Fig. 3,
where the CS has two components in the axial and radial
curvature directions. The two magnetic probes measure the
velocity only in the axial direction of the CS motion, so, the
probe picks up the signal only of the axial component of the CS
velocity, therefore, the angular motion of the CS at the tip of the
anode becomes a linear motion by “v = ωr” as shown in the
curve (V2, the CS velocity in the radial curvature phase).
Additionally, the results illustrate that; the CS velocity
does not depend on the anode length. A shock wave is
generated and moved ahead of the CS when the CS motion is
highly supersonic. The shock wave can be estimated by the
following relation:32,35)
g+1
Vsh = V2, (6 )
(3 ) 2
where Vsh is the shock wave velocity, V2 is the CS velocity,
and γ = 1.67 is the specific heat ratio of the helium gas.
Therefore, Vsh is greater than the CS velocity. The angular
motion and its equation will be described in detail in the
future work by using the snowplow model.36–38)
(4 )
6. The current sheath dynamics in the LPP device
The CS dynamics are shown in Fig. 8. The CS dynamics are
investigated by the magnetic probe measurements.
Lorentz force accelerates and drives the CS in the axial
direction towards the top of the cathode. The magnetic probe
detects the magnetic field signal of the CS at different
positions from the bottom of the cathode (0 cm) to 26 cm
from the bottom.
The upper signal in Fig. 8 shows the discharge current,
which has a half periodic time of 24 μs. The signals of the
magnetic probe are compared to the discharge current signal
in order to appear the CS motion. The figure shows that the
magnetic field signal of the CS varies as a function of the
axial position. The first peak motion of the magnetic field
signal was recorded by a magnetic probe. So, the results
(5 ) show that the CS needs 20 μs to travel a distance 26 cm
approximately from the cathode breach end at the bottom as
reported in Ref. 39. Also, the diagram shows that a reversed
magnetic field is generated in curves of the case of 24 and
26 cm.
The magnetic probe measurements were repeated at
different anode lengths (7.5, 9, 10.5, 12, 13.5, 15, and
106001-4 © 2020 The Japan Society of Applied Physics
Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 59, 106001 (2020)
Fig. 5. (Color online) The CS inductance of (a) the axial phase and (b) the radial angular phase.
Fig. 6. (Color online) a signal traces of the two magnetic probes at 0.5 Torr
of He gas pressure and 5 kV for an axial position of 18 cm.
16.5 cm) in order to estimate the arrival time where the
arrival time is the time that the CS needs to arrive position at
which the magnetic probe is placed. The arrival time is
estimated using the time of the first peak in the signal
measured by the magnetic probe. Figure 9 shows the arrival
time of the CS as a function of the axial position for anode
lengths. This figure shows that the CS needs between 4.5 and
20 μs to scan the axial distance. Furthermore, the variation in
the anode length has no significant effect on the arrival time.
In the relation between the arrival time and the axial position
at different conditions, it is clear that the arrival time is
directly proportional to the axial position. The fitting line
represents a linear relationship between the arrival time and
axial position, where the linear equation can be written as: ta
(μs) = s X (cm) + td, where ta is the arrival time, X is the axial
position, s is the slope of each line and td is the critical time
required to ionize a neutral gas and form the CS.30,40)
As shown in Fig. 9, td = 4.7 μs is the critical time required
to ionize the gas and form the CS.30) Finally, it is deduced
from the experimental results that the time required for the
breakdown phase to occur and form the CS motion is td.41) In
other words, all the measurements show that a lower critical
time of 4.7 μs is needed to ionize the gas and form the plasma
at the same voltage and gas pressure.
7. Propulsion investigation in LPP device
The LPP device is designed and operated to generate plasma
propulsion. The plasma is formed, accelerated axially, and
106001-5
K. M. Ahmed et al.
compressed radially by the Lorentz force. In this device, the
electromagnetic pressure (Lorentz force) is used to compress
the plasma column, which will be pushed in the z-direction
through the expansion tube. Figure 10 shows panoramic
photos of the CS propulsion at different charging voltages.
These photos are taken by a video camera Model Samsung
12 CMOS Dual OIS (1.4 μm, f/1.5/2.4) in slow motion at
960 fps with resolution 1280 × 720 with 0.9 MP where the
camera mounted in front of the extension tube about 20 cm
away from the tube.
These photographs show that the plasma flows through the
expansion tube, where the length of the propelled plasma
column is increased by increasing of charging voltage. The
photographs show that the variation in the CS length
increases for 1–4 kV, but at 5 kV the plasma fills the
expansion tube, while at 6 kV, it cannot clearly note, where
the plasma fills the expansion tube. The light fully fills the
tube, where the radiation process may be increased.
The yellow-length-scales in Fig. 10 show the part of the
extension tube at which the plasma column fills almost all the
interior of the tube i.e. the thickness of the plasma column
equals the inner diameter of the extension tube.
Figure 11 shows the gray values (the intensities of the RGB
pixels along a line) of the images shown in Fig. 10 that are
analyzed using ImageJ software.42) RGB pixels are converted
into brightness values using the formula Gray =
(Red + Green + Blue)/3 or Gray = 0.299 × Red + 0.587 ×
Green + 0.114 × Blue.
ImageJ displays the images by linearly mapping pixel
values in the display range to display values in the range
0–255 where pixels with a value less than the minimum are
displayed as black and those with a value greater than the
maximum are displayed as white.42) Figure 11 displays a
two-dimensional graph of the intensities of pixels along an
axial line in the center of the plasma column inside the
extension tube where the X-axis represents the distance along
this line and the Y-axis is the pixel intensity.
This figure shows that the visual optical emission of the
plasma ejected to the extension tube increases with increasing
charging voltage. The figure shows that the gray values
(intensity) are constant at an axial position of 37 cm for each
charging voltage. Additionally, it can be shown that the gray
values (intensity) are saturated (the pixels are in the range
⩾ 255) especially along the centerline along the expansion
tube at and above a charging voltage of 5 kV. It is observed
© 2020 The Japan Society of Applied Physics
Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 59, 106001 (2020) K. M. Ahmed et al.

Fig. 7. (Color online) The variation of the CS velocity and the shock wave with the axial position inside the discharge chamber at 0.5 Torr and 5 kV.

that an increase in the gray value at charging voltage less than
5 kV at the axial distance above about 64 cm. This is due to
the reflection of the light at the target above the extension
tube. The length (indicated by the arrow in Fig. 11) refers to
the visual optical corresponding to a reference intensity value
of higher than 255 according to the scale used in Fig. 11. Of
course, this value could be changed if some studies detect
the intensity in higher reference values, but the trend of the
column length variation will be the same. The variation of the
considered lengths can differ according to the reference value
of the intensity, because not all fully plasma ejected particles
have the same speed, but may be expected to follow a
Gaussian distribution.
When the CS is compressed by the Lorentz force, it pushes
up towards the Pyrex expansion tube. Figures 10 and 11
106001-6
illustrate that, the length of the propelled plasma column
(observed by the visual optical emission) depends on the
charging voltage.
The current of the plasma propulsion inside the expansion
tube is measured by a Rogowski coil which is placed around
the extension tube. It measures the current due to the
magnetic induction in the plasma column. The peak current
of the signal is used to estimate the propelled current value.
Figure 12 shows that the propelled plasma current increases
with the charging voltage, while it decreases with the axial
position because most of the electromagnetic pressure that
compresses and pushes the CS is generated inside the
discharge chamber; the expansion tube is filled by neutral
particles of helium gas, which produce a kinetic pressure
opposite to the plasma propulsion motion in the axial
© 2020 The Japan Society of Applied Physics
Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 59, 106001 (2020)
Fig. 8. (Color online) The variation in the CS positions as a function of the
time at 0.5 Torr and 5 kV for anode length of 13.5 cm.
Fig. 9. (Color online) The arrival time of the CS as a function of the axial
positions for different anode lengths at 0.5 Torr of He gas pressure and 5 kV.
direction.29) The current at 52 cm is increased, according to
the Bennett relation “I2 = cons. NKT”,43) where the density
may be increased because the CS flows through a small port
of 8 mm diameter towards the expansion tube of 3 cm
diameter. Also, according to the snowplow and slug models,
106001-7
K. M. Ahmed et al.
Fig. 10. (Color online) Panorama of the CS propulsion positions for
different charging voltages in slow motion acquired with a digital camera at
0.5 Torr.
Fig. 11. (Color online) The gray values (intensity) of the images of the
plasma propulsion in the expansion tube of the LPP device at different
charging voltages at 0.5 Torr and 5 kV.
Fig. 12. (Color online) Propelled Plasma current as a function of the axial
position inside the expansion tube for 0.5 Torr of He gas pressure at different
discharge voltages of 3–7 kV.
the CS sweeps the neutral particles, which are ionized by a
shock wave.
From Figs. 10–12, it can be concluded that the propelled
plasma current and the intensity of the light emitted in the
LPP device (observed in the extension tube) are increased
with increasing the charging voltage due to the increase of
the electron and photons.
© 2020 The Japan Society of Applied Physics
Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 59, 106001 (2020)
Fig. 13. (Color online) The velocity and arrival time of the CS as a
function of the charging voltage at the start of the expansion tube with
0.5 Torr He gas and the anode length 13.5 cm.
The arrival time of the CS and its velocity are also
measured at the beginning of the expansion Pyrex tube at
different charging voltages, as shown in Fig. 13. The figure
shows that the arrival time of the CS is decreased by
increasing the charging voltage. This is due to the higher
energy corresponding to a higher charging voltage that leads
to an increase in the plasma propellant.
The figure shows that the CS needs approximately
20.58 μs to flow through the expansion tube, while it needs
approximately 20 μs to move 26 cm axially from the begin-
ning of the discharge (see Fig. 8). As a result of the increased
energy, the CS velocity is increased with increasing charging
voltage, as shown in Fig. 13. Additionally, the figure shows
that the CS propellant velocity (the CS velocity of the plasma
ejected inside the expansion tube) is lower than the CS
velocity (the CS velocity inside the discharge chamber),
where the kinetic pressure of the neutral gas inside the
expansion tube reverses the CS motion. Therefore, the CS
propellant sweeps the neutral particles that are ionized by the
CS motion and the shock wave, and then it exhibits a heavy
sheath according to the snowplow model.29)
8. Conclusion
An LPP device was designed and operated to generate
electromagnetic propulsion. The discharge current was gen-
erated between an anode with 18 cm length and a cylinder
cathode with 27 cm length. A plasma is ejected through an
expansion tube used to investigate the plasma jet from an
electromagnetic propulsion. The CS dynamics are investi-
gated through two main phases: the axial phase and the radial
curvature phase. The CS exhibits an angular motion when it
reaches the end of the axial phase (at the end of the anode).
The experimental circuit inductance was 560 nH, while the
calculated inductance of the plasma varied from 12 nH at the
end of the axial phase to 14 nH at the end of the radial
curvature phase.
The CS velocity was measured by two magnetic probes,
where the CS velocity increased with increasing the axial
position along the anode. The CS exhibited a curved motion
at the end of the axial phase. It is noted that a lower critical
106001-8
K. M. Ahmed et al.
time of 4.7 μs is needed to ionize the gas and form the plasma
at the same voltage and gas pressure. Additionally, the shock
wave velocity was calculated by the thermodynamic laws of
gases. The ejected plasma inside the extension tube was
photographed by a camera, and the plasma propulsion
column current and length are increased with increasing the
charging voltage. The results of the paper are preliminary
results of the LPP device, which can be applied in electro-
magnetic plasma propulsion applications. In the future, the
electrical parameters, CS dynamics, and the length of
propelled plasma in LPP will be simulated with the snow-
plow model.
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