A 2D particle-in-cell simulation of anomalous transport in Hall effect thrusters

Hall effect thrusters (HETs) have been utilized for a diverse space mission with its high specific impulse. Both the anomalous transport phenomenon and the enhanced mobility were reported in the previous study in a rectangular coordinate system [1]. In this study, we report the transport phenomena in HETs investigated with a 2D GPU particle-in-cell (PIC) method. In a low-pressure range, it is observed that the cross-field mobility does not have classical characteristics. Instead, an enhanced mobility relation which differs from the former is observed. It means that an anomalous transport phenomenon that is explained as azimuthal fluctuations due to large electron drift velocities affects instabilities. An enhanced electron transport theory shows that it is irrelevant to electron-neutral collisions when pressure decreases. This instability effect plays a more important role in the cross field transport than the secondary electron emission.

[1] Lafleur et al. Physics of Plasmas 23, 053502 (2016).