Effect of electron-neutral collisions on plasma transport enhancement by kinetic instability in a Hall-effect thruster

Hall thrusters are space propulsion systems that have been used in many missions. Nevertheless, the physical phenomenon called the "anomalous electron transport" is not well understood and is still actively studied. In this study, a particle-in-cell method is used to reproduce the plasma in a discharge channel to investigate the plasma transport phenomena. In previous calculations, a wavy structure with the same scale as the Debye length appeared in the plasma. The analysis of the calculation results suggests that the non-thermal velocity distribution of electrons is important to elucidate the transport phenomena by these waves. In this presentation, we will discuss how electron-neutral collisions affect the electron velocity profile and anomalous transport phenomena.