On the heating mechanism of electron cyclotron resonance thruster immerged in a non-uniform magnetic field

To study the heating mechanism of electron cyclotron resonance thruster (ECRT) immersed in a non-uniform magnetic field, experiments and simulations are performed based on an electron cyclotron resonance plasma source at ASIPP. It is found that the first harmonic of electron cyclotron resonance is essential for plasma ignition at high magnetic field (0.0875 T), while the plasma can sustain without the first and second harmonics of electron cyclotron resonance at low magnetic field (till 0.0170 T). Evidence of radial hollow density profile indicates that upper hybrid resonance, which has strong edge heating effect, is the heating mechanism of low-field ECRT. The heating mode transition from electron cyclotron resonance to upper hybrid resonance is also revealed. Interestingly, the evolutions of electron temperature and electron density with input power experience a ‘delayed’ jump, which may be correlated with the different power levels required for cyclotron and ionization. Moreover, when the field strength decreased, the variation of electron density behaves in an opposite trend with that of electron temperature, implying a possible competition of power deposition between them. The present work is of great interest for understanding the plasma discharge in ECRT especially immersed in a non-uniform magnetic field, and designing efficient ECRT using low magnetic field for economic space applications.