title: Integral electrical characteristics and local plasma parameters of a RF ion thruster.
abstract: Comprehensive diagnostics has been carried out for a RF ion thruster based on inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source with an external flat antenna coil enhanced by ferrite core. The ICP was confined within a cylindrical chamber with low aspect ratio to minimize plasma loss to the chamber wall. Integral diagnostics of the ICP electrical parameters (RF power balance and coil current) allowed for evaluation of the antenna coils, matching networks, and eddy current loss and the true RF power deposited to plasma. Spatially resolved electron energy distribution functions, plasma density, electron temperatures, and plasma potentials were measured with movable Langmuir probes.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Applied Mechanics and Electrodynamics of the Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University), Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Masherov
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Applied Mechanics and Electrodynamics of the Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University), Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Riaby
authors.affiliation: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA and RF Plasma Consulting, Brookline, Massachusetts 02446, USA.
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Godyak