Tsaglov A. Thrust efficiency improvement of low power helicon plasma thruster

Object - working processes in low power helicon plasma thruster; goal - to increase thrust efficiency of low power helicon plasma thruster to the level of more than 10 % by profiling external magnetic field configuration; methods - numerical finite element method, the method of optical emission spectroscopy, probe measurement methods of plasma parameters, the direct measurement of engine thrust, physical modeling; results - computational and analytical recommendations, construction of a permanent magnet electroanalog, helicon thruster laboratory model; novelty - first experimentally shown that the profiling of the external magnetic field configuration can significantly improve the efficiency of low-power helicon plasma thruster, first experimentally established that the joint fulfillment of three resonances conditions, namely electron cyclotron, helicon and lower hybrid, in the helicon thruster discharge chamber results in significant increase of thrust efficiency, for the first time for the helicon plasma thruster invited an external magnetic field configuration with two peaks magnetic induction distribution in the discharge chamber and the fulfillment of conditions of electron cyclotron, helicon and lower hybrid resonances; the degree of implementation - there are three acts of introduction; industry - propulsion engineering.