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A Compact Permanent-Magnet Helicon Thruster

Abstract

A small helicon source using a permanent magnet has been tested for possible application as a spacecraft thruster. Ion energy distributions measured with a retarding-field ion analyzer show that ions are ejected with energies of ∼5 KT-e , in agreement with theory. The specific impulse can be increased by applying a positive bias to the endplate of the discharge.

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