Plasma measurements from a split ring resonator plasma thruster neutralizer

Riverside research, a 501c(3) not for profit research institution, has been developing a split ring resonator sourced thruster neutralizer. Argon gas is fed into a small chamber containing the resonator, which consumes between 10 and 100 W at ~2 GHz to create a plasma plume. Ions are collected by the surrounding aluminum cavity while an electron beam is extracted via a molybdenum mesh at varying distances away from the cavity aperture, with collected current between 10-100 mA. Holes were placed along the cavity to allow access to a Langmuir probe to measure electron density and temperature. Extracted efficiency up to ~20 mA/W were observed. Work supported by a grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.