Hall-effect thruster-cathode coupling : the effect of cathode position and magnetic field topology

Hall-effect thruster (HET) cathodes are responsible for the generation of the free electrons necessary to initiate and sustain the main plasma discharge and to neutralize the ion beam. The position of the cathode relative to the thruster strongly affects the efficiency of thrust generation. However, the mechanisms by which the position affects the efficiency are not well understood. This dissertation explores the effect of cathode position on HET efficiency. Magnetic field topology is shown to play an important role in the coupling between the cathode plasma and the main discharge plasma. The position of the cathode within the magnetic field affects the ion beam and the plasma properties of the near-field plume, which explains the changes in efficiency of the thruster. Several experiments were conducted which explored the changes of efficiency arising from changes in cathode coupling. In each experiment, the thrust, discharge current, and cathode coupling voltage were monitored while changes in the independent variables of cathode position, cathode mass flow and magnetic field topology were made. From the telemetry data, the efficiency of the HET thrust generation was calculated. Furthermore, several ion beam and plasma properties were measured including ion energy distribution, beam current density profile, near-field plasma potential, electron temperature, and electron density. The ion beam data show how the independent variables affected the quality of ion beam and therefore the efficiency of thrust generation. The measurements of near-field plasma properties partially explain how the changes in ion beam quality arise. The results of the experiments show that cathode position, mass flow, and field topology affect several aspects of the HET operation, especially beam divergence and voltage utilization efficiencies. Furthermore, the experiments show that magnetic field topology is important in the cathode coupling process. In particular, the magnetic field separatrix plays a critical role in impeding the coupling between cathode and HET. Suggested changes to HET thruster designs are provided including ways to improve the position of the separatrix to accommodate the cathode.

DEVELOPMENT OF AN IONIC LIQUID FERROFLUID ELECTROSPRAY SOURCE AND MODE SHAPE STUDIES OF A FERROFLUID IN A NON-UNIFORM MAGNETIC FIELD

An electrospray source has been developed using a novel new fluid that is both magnetic and conductive. Unlike conventional electrospray sources that required microfabricated structures to support the fluid to be electrosprayed, this new electrospray fluid utilizes the Rosensweig instability to create the structures in the magnetic fluid when an external magnetic field was applied. Application of an external electric field caused these magnetic fluid structures to spray. These fluid based structures were found to spray at a lower onset voltage than was predicted for electrospray sources with solid structures of similar geometry. These fluid based structures were also found to be resilient to damage, unlike the solid structures found in traditional electrospray sources. Further, experimental studies of magnetic fluids in non-uniform magnetic fields were conducted. The modes of Rosensweig instabilities have been studied in-depth when created by uniform magnetic fields, but little to no studies have been performed on Rosensweig instabilities formed due to non-uniform magnetic fields. The measured spacing of the cone-like structures of ferrofluid, in a non-uniform magnetic field, were found to agree with a proposed theoretical model.

Wireless and passive pressure sensor system based on the magnetic higher-order harmonic field

The goal of this work is to develop a magnetic-based passive and wireless pressure sensor for use in biomedical applications. Structurally, the pressure sensor, referred to as the magneto-harmonic pressure sensor, is composed of two magnetic elements: a magnetically-soft material acts as a sensing element, and a magnetically hard material acts as a biasing element. Both elements are embedded within a rigid sensor body and sealed with an elastomer pressure membrane. Upon excitation of an externally applied AC magnetic field, the sensing element is capable of producing higher-order magnetic signature that is able to be remotely detected with an external receiving coil. When exposed to environment with changing ambient pressure, the elastomer pressure membrane of pressure sensor is deflected depending on the surrounding pressure. The deflection of elastomer membrane changes the separation distance between the sensing and biasing elements. As a result, the higher-order harmonic signal emitted by the magnetically-soft sensing element is shifted, allowing detection of pressure change by determining the extent of the harmonic shifting. The passive and wireless nature of the sensor is enabled with an external excitation and receiving system consisting of an excitation coil and a receiving coil. These unique characteristics made the sensor suitable to be used for continuous and long-term pressure monitoring, particularly useful for biomedical applications which often require frequent surveillance. In this work, abdominal aortic aneurysm is selected as the disease model for evaluation the performance of pressure sensor and system. Animal model, with subcutaneous sensor implantation in mice, was conducted to demonstrate the efficacy and feasibility of pressure sensor in biological environment.

Controlling electronic and magnetic properties of ultra narrow multilayered nanowires

Interest in the study of magnetic/non-magnetic multilayered structures took a giant leap since Grünberg and his group established that the interlayer exchange coupling (IEC) is a function of the non-magnetic spacer width. This interest was further fuelled by the discovery of the phenomenal Giant Magnetoresistance (GMR) effect. In fact, in 2007 Albert Fert and Peter Grünberg were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their contribution to the discovery of GMR. GMR is the key property that is being used in the read-head of the present day computer hard drive as it requires a high sensitivity in the detection of magnetic field. The recent increase in demand for device miniaturization encouraged researchers to look for GMR in nanoscale multilayered structures. In this context, one dimensional(1-D) multilayerd nanowire structure has shown tremendous promise as a viable candidate for ultra sensitive read head sensors. In fact, the phenomenal giant magnetoresistance(GMR) effect, which is the novel feature of the currently used multilayered thin film, has already been observed in multilayered nanowire systems at ambient temperature. Geometrical confinement of the supper lattice along the 2-dimensions (2-D) to construct the 1-D multilayered nanowire prohibits the minimization of magnetic interaction- offering a rich variety of magnetic properties in nanowire that can be exploited for novel functionality. In addition, introduction of non-magnetic spacer between the magnetic layers presents additional advantage in controlling magnetic properties via tuning the interlayer magnetic interaction. Despite of a large volume of theoretical works devoted towards the understanding of GMR and IEC in super lattice structures, limited theoretical calculations are reported in 1-D multilayered systems. Thus to gauge their potential application in new generation magneto-electronic devices, in this thesis, I have discussed the usage of first principles density functional theory (DFT) in predicting the equilibrium structure, stability as well as electronic and magnetic properties of one dimensional multilayered nanowires. Particularly, I have focused on the electronic and magnetic properties of Fe/Pt multilayered nanowire structures and the role of non-magnetic Pt spacer in modulating the magnetic properties of the wire. It is found that the average magnetic moment per atom in the nanowire increases monotonically with an ~1/(N(Fe)) dependance, where N(Fe) is the number of iron layers in the nanowire. A simple model based upon the interfacial structure is given to explain the 1/(N(Fe)) trend in magnetic moment obtained from the first principle calculations. A new mechanism, based upon spin flip with in the layer and multistep electron transfer between the layers, is proposed to elucidate the enhancement of magnetic moment of Iron atom at the Platinum interface. The calculated IEC in the Fe/Pt multilayered nanowire is found to switch sign as the width of the non-magnetic spacer varies. The competition among short and long range direct exchange and the super exchange has been found to play a key role for the non-monotonous sign in IEC depending upon the width of the Platinum spacer layer. The calculated magnetoresistance from Julliere's model also exhibit similar switching behavior as that of IEC. The universality of the behavior of exchange coupling has also been looked into by introducing different non-magnetic spacers like Palladium, Copper, Silver, and Gold in between magnetic Iron layers. The nature of hybridization between Fe and other non-magnetic spacer is found to dictate the inter layer magnetic interaction. For example, in Fe/Pd nanowire the d-p hybridization in two spacer layer case favors anti-ferromagnetic (AFM) configuration over ferromagnetic (FM) configuration. However, the hybridization between half-filled Fe(d) and filled Cu(p) state in Fe/Cu nanowire favors FM coupling in the 2-spacer system.

Translation Studies on an Annular Field Reversed Configuration Device for Space Propulsion

This research investigated annular field reversed configuration (AFRC)devices for high power electric propulsion by demonstrating the acceleration of these plasmoids using an experimental prototype and measuring the plasmoid's velocity, impulse, and energy efficiency. The AFRC plasmoid translation experiment was design and constructed with the aid of a dynamic circuit model. Two versions of the experiment were built, using underdamped RLC circuits at 10 kHz and 20 kHz. Input energies were varied from 100 J/pulse to 1000 J/pulse for the 10 kHz bank and 100 J/pulse for the 20 kHz bank. The plasmoids were formed in static gas fill of argon, from 1 mTorr to 50 mTorr. The translation of the plasmoid was accomplished by incorporating a small taper into the outer coil, with a half angle of 2°. Magnetic field diagnostics, plasma probes, and single-frame imaging were used to measure the plasmoid's velocity and to diagnose plasmoid behavior. Full details of the device design, construction, and diagnostics are provided in this dissertation. The results from the experiment demonstrated that a repeatable AFRC plasmoid was produced between the coils, yet failed to translate for all tested conditions. The data revealed the plasmoid was limited in lifetime to only a few (4-10) μs, too short for translation at low energy. A global stability study showed that the plasma suffered a radial collapse onto the inner wall early in its lifecycle. The radial collapse was traced to a magnetic pressure imbalance. A correction made to the circuit was successful in restoring an equilibrium pressure balance and prolonging radial stability by an additional 2.5 μs. The equilibrium state was sufficient to confirm that the plasmoid current in an AFRC reaches a steady-state prior to the peak of the coil currents. This implies that the plasmoid will always be driven to the inner wall, unless it translates from the coils prior to peak coil currents. However, ejection of the plasmoid before the peak coil currents results in severe efficiency losses. These results demonstrate the difficulty in designing an AFRC experiment for translation as balancing the different requirements for stability, balance, and efficient translation can have competing consequences.