Plasma propulsion is an important and efficient technology used to control spacecraft for Earth observation, communications and fundamental exploration of outer space.
Plasma propulsion systems use electric power to ionize propellant gas and transform it into the fourth state of matter, known as plasma. Electrically charged ions and electrons are accelerated in an exhaust beam to generate thrust and propel the spacecraft.
The most established electric propulsion concepts, for example gridded-ion thrusters, accelerate and emit a larger number of positively charged particles than those with negative charge. To enable the spacecraft to remain charge-neutral, a "neutralizer" is used to inject electrons to exactly balance the positive ion charge in the exhaust beam. However, the neutralizer requires additional power from the spacecraft and increases the size and weight of the propulsion system.
A team from the University of York and École Polytechnique is investigating how the neutralizer can be removed altogether. The researchers report their findings this week in the journal Physics of Plasmas, from AIP Publishing.
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