Space Vehicle Electro-static and Electro-magnetic Propulsion
摘要
In this chapter, after reconsidering the motion of plasmas when influenced by electric and magnetic fields, particularly the generation and acceleration of plasmas in such fields and the Child–Langmuir law and its applications to developing relations for the generated thrust, typical plasma thruster technologies such as gridded ion engines, pulsed plasma thrusters, Hall current thrusters, field effect emission–based electric thrusters, colloid propulsion and electrospray-driven thrusters are briefly discussed. The physics of cone and droplet formation is also briefly considered.