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NASA NTRS2018

Investigations of Pole Erosion Mechanisms in the 12.5 kW HERMeS Hall Thruster Using Numerical Simulations and Ion Velocity Measurements

When the Hall Effect Rocket with Magnetic Shielding (HERMeS) was tested at the NASA GRC’s VF-5 the erosion rate on the pole covers was found to be at least a factor of two higher at 300 V and 20.8 A than at other operating conditions in the 400 V to 600 V range. Simulations using our hydrodynamics code Hall2De do not predict increased erosion rates at 300 V but accurately compute erosion rates similar to the measurements at the other operating conditions. We investigate the source of the discrepancy between measurements and simulations at 300 V using a combination of numerical simulations and experimental measurements of the ion velocity fields in the acceleration region of the thruster. By examining previous simulations that predicted the measured erosion rates for other thrusters and operating conditions, we determine that sputtering of the pole surfaces by high energy ions is the most likely mechanism behind the erosion rates at 300 V. High energy ions sputter the pole surfaces when the acceleration region of the thruster is downstream of the pole surface plane. When the latter occurs, the curvature of the plasma potential contours at the edges of the channel accelerates a small fraction of the high energy ions radially. We find that neither our Hall2De simulations nor the experimental measurements produce ions of sufficiently high energy and flux to the inner pole cover to explain the measured erosion there. Only at the outer edge of the cover is where we find the ions needed to yield simulation results that are comparable to the erosion measurements. We argue that one possible mechanism for the higher erosion is high energy ions that graze the channel corner of the pole and become trapped in a sheath that develops downstream. Within the sheath, we find that the electric field is large enough to turn the ions towards the surface of the pole. A simplified calculation shows that the erosion rates produced by sputtering of trapped ions are similar to the measurements. We also propose that the presence of local oscillations and high-energy cathode ions may be sources of the enhanced erosion We conclude this article by proposing a combination of analysis, simulation, and experimental measurements that can be used to address the validity of these hypotheses.

Mikellides, Ioannis G.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Ion Velocity Characterization of the 12.5-kW Advanced Electric Propulsion System Engineering Hall Thruster

During development testing of the 12.5-kW Advanced Electric Propulsion System engineering unit Hall thruster, which is magnetically shielded, a laser-induced fluorescence test was performed. During this test, a third medium-energy ion population was found near the inner front pole cover in addition to two low-energy counter-streaming ion populations that were found in previous testing. This newly found ion population matched in characteristics with the single population found near the outer front pole cover. The measured characteristics of the medium-energy ions matched the behavior expected of them if they were energized by a plasma wave with magnetized electrons, such as a lower hybrid wave. Comparison of the data from this test to prior tests showed that this engineering thruster had very similar ion characteristics as the precursor laboratory thruster. The acceleration zone was found to move upstream with increasing background pressure, decreasing anode flowrate, and increasing magnetic field strength. For the low-energy ions, the energy of the ions arriving at the inner pole did not vary noticeably with background pressure but did increase with increasing magnetic field strength and decreasing anode flow rate. For the medium-energy ions, the energy of the ions increased with decreasing background pressure, decreasing anode flow rate, and increasing magnetic field strength. Testing at different cathode flow fraction showed that the energy of the low-energy ions from the cathode decreased with increasing cathode flow.

Electric propulsion↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Unraveling Solar Wind Space Weathering of Carbon-Rich Asterods: Low-Flux VS. High-Flux Ion Irradiation of Murchison

Introduction: Space weathering processesalter the microstructural, compositional, and optical properties of airless planetary surfaces.Solar wind space weatheringforms ion-damaged rims within the outermost ~100 nm of regolith grains through atomic-displacements and implantation of energetic H+and He+ions[1]. Transmission electron microscope(TEM)studies of space weathered Itokawa and lunar olivine particles reveal predominantly nanocrystalline solar wind-damaged rims with only minor regions of amorphization[2-5]. This finding differs from laboratoryion irradiation experiments in which samples become amorphous at fluences 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than the independentlyconstrained fluences for still-crystalline natural samples [6-7].Ion flux is generally considered to have a secondaryeffectcompared to fluence in these irradiation experiments. However, solar wind irradiation of natural samples occurs at a flux that is ~4-5 orders of magnitude lower than whatisused inlaboratory simulations (e.g., [6,8-9]). Constraining how the very low ion flux of solar wind influences the microstructural, chemical, and spectral alteration of silicate minerals will improve our understanding of solar wind space weathering and aid in the analysis of returned samples from the Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx missions. Here we report results from low-and high-flux ion irradiation experiments on the Murchison (CM2)meteoritewithcomparable total fluences. Methods: We performed low-flux and high-flux He+(4 keV) and H+(1 keV) irradiation experiments on separate, dry-cut Murchison slabs. Low-flux He+irradiation reached a total fluence of 2.1 x 1016ions/cm2(~400 years of exposure at Bennu) using a flux of 3.6 x 1011ions/cm2/s; low-flux H+irradiation reached a total fluence of 3.9 x 1016ions/cm2(~30 years) using a flux of 6.6 x 1011ions/cm2/s. High-flux He+irradiation reached a total fluence of 2.0 x 1016ions/cm2(~400 years)using a flux of 9.1 x 1012ions/cm2/s; high-flux H+irradiation reached a total fluence of 5.8 x 1016ions/cm2(~50 years)using flux of 8.4 x 1012ions/cm2/s. By irradiating to similar total fluences in both the low-flux and high-flux experiments, we can better isolate and evaluatethe effects of ion flux. Differences between unirradiatedand irradiated surfaces are determined using threeanalytical techniques:(1) in situX-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) reveals changes in surface chemistry,(2) visible to near-infrared spectroscopy (VNIR; 0.35-2.5 μm) highlights changes in spectraltrends, such as albedo and slope, and (3) TEM and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) identifieschanges in nanoscale structure and elemental composition within olivine and matrix electron-transparent thin sections prepared using focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM). Results and Discussion: XPS analyses of the low-fluxand high-fluxHe+-and H+-irradiated samples showa minorreduction in surface carbon contentand chemicalreduction ofFe3+to Fe2+. The latter result is consistent with the higher Fe2+/Fe3+ratios observed in phyllosilicate-rich space weathered rims of Ryugu grains [10].VNIR analyses suggest that the low-flux H+-irradiated spectrum has a slightly bluer slope (over 0.65-2.5 μm) compared to the unirradiated VNIR spectrum from [9] while the low-flux He+-irradiated spectral slope is comparable to the unirradiated surface. Both the high-flux He+-and H+-irradiated VNIR spectra exhibitslightlyhigheralbedos at shorter wavelengths relativeto their unirradiated counterparts, with He+irradiation yielding a greater change. Thus far, the low-flux He+-irradiated matrix and olivine FIBsections as well as the low-flux H+-irradiated olivine FIBsection have been examined with TEM. The surfaces of all three samplesshowless vesiculation than high-flux/high-fluenceirradiated matrix and olivine samples from [9]. The depth of phyllosilicate amorphization in thelow-fluxHe+-irradiated matrix FIBsection varieslaterally, with crystalline domains occurring as shallow as ~25 nm in some regions. Thelow-flux He+-irradiated olivine FIBsection has acontinuous,~40-90 nm thick ion-affected layer with polycrystalline and amorphous microstructures. The low-flux H+-irradiated olivine sampleexhibits a distinct, ~10-40 nm ion-affected layer whose uppermost ~20 nmin thicker regions is predominantly amorphous.Continuing to compare results from this work to those from [9] will provide a comprehensive understanding of how ion flux impacts the microstructural, chemical, and optical modification of various mineral phases and, in turn,help identify space weathering features from parent body alteration in Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx returned samples.

D L Laczniak↗
NASA NTRS1999

Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization of fluorinated phenols in atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry, tandem mass spectrometry, and ion mobility spectrometry

Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI)-mass spectrometry (MS) for fluorinated phenols (C6H5-xFxOH Where x = 0-5) in nitrogen with Cl- as the reagent ion yielded product ions of M Cl- through ion associations or (M-H)- through proton abstractions. Proton abstraction was controllable by potentials on the orifice and first lens, suggesting that some proton abstraction occurs through collision induced dissociation (CID) in the interface region. This was proven using CID of adduct ions (M Cl-) with Q2 studies where adduct ions were dissociated to Cl- or proton abstracted to (M-H)-. The extent of proton abstraction depended upon ion energy and structure in order of calculated acidities: pentafluorophenol > tetrafluorophenol > trifluorophenol > difluorophenol. Little or no proton abstraction occurred for fluorophenol, phenol, or benzyl alcohol analogs. Ion mobility spectrometry was used to determine if proton abstraction reactions passed through an adduct intermediate with thermalized ions and mobility spectra for all chemicals were obtained from 25 to 200 degrees C. Proton abstraction from M Cl- was not observed at any temperature for phenol, monofluorophenol, or difluorophenol. Mobility spectra for trifluorophenol revealed the kinetic transformations to (M-H)- either from M Cl- or from M2 Cl- directly. Proton abstraction was the predominant reaction for tetra- and penta-fluorophenols. Consequently, the evidence suggests that proton abstraction occurs from an adduct ion where the reaction barrier is reduced with increasing acidity of the O-H bond in C6H5-xFxOH.

NASA Discipline Environmental Health↗
NASA NTRS2004

Numerical Simulation of Two-grid Ion Optics Using a 3D Code

A three-dimensional ion optics code has been developed under NASA's Project Prometheus to model two grid ion optics systems. The code computes the flow of positive ions from the discharge chamber through the ion optics and into the beam downstream of the thruster. The rate at which beam ions interact with background neutral gas to form charge exchange ions is also computed. Charge exchange ion trajectories are computed to determine where they strike the ion optics grid surfaces and to determine the extent of sputter erosion they cause. The code has been used to compute predictions of the erosion pattern and wear rate on the NSTAR ion optics system; the code predicts the shape of the eroded pattern but overestimates the initial wear rate by about 50%. An example of use of the code to estimate the NEXIS thruster accelerator grid life is also presented.

ion optics↗
NASA NTRS1973

Lunar ion flux and energy

The dynamics of the lunar ionosphere and resulting flux of lunar ions to the lunar surface are reviewed. In the Lunar rest frame, ions formed from the neutral lunar atmosphere are accelerated by the interplanetary electric and magnetic fields. The trajectories of heavier ions are primarily along the electric field; the ion flux is in a direction perpendicular to the solar wind flow, correlated to the orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field, and impacts the surface with energies of tens of electron volts to a few keV. Thus we predict a relatively energetic (compared to thermal energies), highly directional, lunar ion flux but with the possibility that light ions such as hydrogen can execute orbits that return them to portions of the lunar surface not directly exposed to the solar wind. The effects of surface electric and magnetic fields are discussed, as is the ion energy spectrum. We calculate the trapping of atmospheric ions which impact the surface and from this the density of neutral Ar 40 in the lunar atmosphere. We show that using the acceleration model, the lunar atmosphere total neutral number density can be calculated from ion detector data.

Manka, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Ion composition in a noctilucent cloud

Ion composition at mesospheric altitudes was measured and compared between high and mid-latitude sites under summer daytime conditions. Rocket-borne measurements were made with pumped quadrupole ion mass spectrometers. The mid-latitude data were obtained at Wallops Island, Virginia on June 30, 1973, at 1510 LMT. Large quantities of hydronium cluster ions were observed through 109+, with maximum concentrations at 55+ and 73+. Also, cluster ions of nitric oxide were observed through 84+. The high latitude launch occurred at Kiruna, Sweden on August 2, 1973, at 0700 LMT following visual sighting of a noctilucent cloud on the prior evening. The data near mesopause shows cluster ions, but also a preponderance of heavy ions between 90 and 145 AMU, with groupings 18 AMU apart but unrelated to the more typical cluster ions. One possible set of consistent identifications leads to iron and iron oxide hydrates. These results may suggest the presence of metallic particulates and ions which form hydrated clusters ions.

Goldberg, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Slow ions in plasma wind tunnels

One of the limitations of simulation experiments for the study of interaction between a satellite and its space environment is the background of slow ions in the plasma chamber. These ions appear to be created by charge exchange between the beam ions and residual neutral gas and may affect measurements of the current and potential in the wake. Results are presented for a plasma wind tunnel experiment to study the effect of slow ions on both the ion and electron current distribution and the electron temperature in the wake of a body in a streaming plasma. It is shown that the effect of slow ions for beam ion density not exceeding 3 is not significant for measurements of ion current variations in the wake zone. This is not the case when studies are aimed at the quantitative examination of electron current and temperature variations in the near wake zone. In these instances, the measurements of electron properties in the wake should be done at very low system pressures or over a range of system pressures in order to ascertain the influence of slow ions.

Oran, W. A.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Relationship between proton motive force and potassium ion transport in Halobacterium halobium envelope vesicles

The permeability of Halobacterium halobium vesicle membranes to potassium ions was investigated, and possible mechanisms for the regulation of the gradient of protons by the transmembrane movement of these ions were studied. The lack of a potassium ion diffusion potential in the absence of valinomycin, light-induced electrical potentials in excess of the chemical potential difference for potassium ions, and direct measurements of potassium ion influx during illumination show that the membranes are relatively impermeable to these ions. As a result of sodium ion extrusion during illumination, chlorine ions and water must be lost and the vesicles collapse. The light-induced collapse of vesicles is diminished only if the influx of potassium ions is increased.

Lanyi, J. K.↗
NASA NTRS1979

The effect of energetically produced O2/+/ on the ion temperatures of the Martian thermosphere

The heating rates and ion temperatures of the Martian thermosphere resulting from the thermalization of the energetic O2(+) ions produced by the reactions of the solar ionization products CO2(+) and O(+) with neutral particles are calculated and the effects of small magnetic fields on the ion thermal balance are investigated. The energy transfer and transport of energetic ions is modelled by solving the continuity equation for the ions over a series of finite energy cells yielding the equilibrium densities as a function of energy and altitude. Particles which are able to proceed upwards without collisions are dealt with separately from the continuity equation. It is shown that the thermalization of the energetic O2(+) ions can greatly increase ion temperatures above 200 km compared to those calculated for only ambient electron heating. Current solar wind interaction models predict that small horizontal magnetic fields act to restrict the ion thermal conductivity and to increase upper altitude ion temperatures. The combined effects of these processes provide a partial agreement with measurements made by Viking 1.

Rohrbaugh, R. P.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Facility produced charge-exchange ions

These facility produced ions are created by charge-exchange collisions between neutral atoms and energetic thruster beam ions. The result of the electron transfer is an energetic neutral atom and an ion of only thermal energy. There are true charge-exchange ions produced by collisions with neutrals escaping from the ion thruster and being charge-exchange ionized before the neutral intercepts the tank wall. The facility produced charge-exchange ions will not exist in space and therefore, represent a source of error where measurements involving ion thruster plasmas and their density are involved. The quantity of facility produced ions in a test chamber with a 30 cm mercury ion thruster was determined.

Carruth, M. R., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Ion energetics in the Venus nightside ionosphere

Consideration is given to the energetics of the ion gas flowing across the terminator into the Venus nightside ionosphere. Expressions are derived for the transport time of the ion gas (through 1 radian in solar zenith angle), the heat transfer time from the hot electron gas to the ions of an amount equal to the ion thermal energy), and the time required for vertical heat conduction to remove the internal energy of the ion column above a reference altitude, and it is shown that the time constant for transport is an order of magnitude smaller than the electron heat transfer time and comparable to the conduction time, and thus the ion gas is not a vertical conductive steady state. The conversion of bulk flow ion kinetic energy into heat is suggested as the mechanism responsible for the maintenance of the nightside ion temperatures at their observed values. It is thus concluded that the flow of the ion gas is quasi-adiabatic, and that steady-state, vertical, one dimensional energy balance models must be used with caution in the Venus ionosphere.

Knudsen, W. C.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Ion extraction from a plasma

The physical processes governing ion extraction from a plasma have been examined experimentally. The screen hole plasma sheath (the transition region wherein significant ion acceleration and complete electron retardation occurs) has been defined by equipotential plots for a variety of ion accelerator system geometries and operating conditions. It was found that the screen hole plasma sheath extends over a large distance, and influences ion and electron trajectories at least 15 Debye lengths within the discharge chamber. The electron density variation within the screen hole plasma sheath satisfied a Maxwell-Boltzmann density distribution at an effective electron temperature dependent on the discharge plasma primary-to-Maxwellian electron density ratio. Plasma ion flow up to and through the sheath was predominantly one-dimensional, and the ions entered the sheath region with a modified Bohm velocity. Low values of the screen grid thickness to screen hole diameter ratio were found to give good ion focusing and high extracted ion currents because of the effect of screen webbing on ion focusing.

Aston, G.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Plasma rest frame distributions of suprathermal ions in the earth's foreshock region

The paper presents rest frame ion distributions computed from three-dimensional observations of upstream suprathermal ions made by the University of Iowa Quadrispherical Lepedea on ISEE-1. The observations are for a single inbound midmorning pass starting upstream from the ion foreshock and continuing across the quasi-spherical bow shock into the magnetosheath. The crossing of the ion foreshock boundary is marked by a several-minute burst of ions of temperature 100-200 eV moving along the IMF away from the bow shock at 500 km/s relative to the solar wind. The observation of these reflected ions is followed by an extended interval of diffuse ions of temperatures 2-3 keV flowing at about 250 km/s relative to the solar wind and persisting until the bow shock is crossed. Both types of suprathermal ions constitute roughly 2% of the total ion density and carry a parallel heat flux of 0.01 ergs/sq cm-s.

Sentman, D. D.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Ion temperature anisotropy and heat flow in the Venus lower ionosphere

Motivated by the recent observations of supersonic ion flow in the Venus ionosphere near the terminator, the paper studies the extent to which such a flow can induce an ion temperature anisotropy and a diffusion-thermal heat flow. Calculations indicate that appreciable ion temperature anisotropies can be induced at altitudes below about 220 km. The temperature anisotropy is with respect to the ion-neutral relative drift velocity vector, with the ion temperature parallel to the relative drift velocity greater than the perpendicular ion temperature. The parallel to perpendicular ion temperature ratio is likely to be in the range of from 2 to 4, depending on the ionospheric conditions. It is also found that in the same ionospheric region the ion neutral relative drift induces a diffusion-thermal heat flow that is considerably more important than ordinary ion thermal conduction.

Schunk, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Energization of ionospheric ions by electrostatic hydrogen cyclotron waves

Interactions between ionospheric ions and electrostatic hydrogen cyclotron waves are studied numerically in an investigation of a possible mechanism for the energization of the low-energy ionospheric ions flowing along geomagnetic field lines to high altitudes. Ion equations of motion are solved numerically for a given number of O(+), He(+) and He(2+) ions initially in a Maxwellian distribution. All the ions considered are found capable of undergoing stochastic acceleration by a coherent electrostatic hydrogen cyclotron wave with parameters typical of the auroral plasma above 1 earth radius. The fraction of the initial ion population undergoing heating depends strongly on the mass, charge and initial temperature of the ion species, with O(+) ions only heated when their initial temperature is approximately greater than the hydrogen temperature and the lighter ions able to be heated even when cold, due to cyclotron resonant stochastic heating.

Singh, N.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Light ion concentrations in Jupiter's inner magnetosphere

The light ion distribution in the inner Jovian magnetosphere is investigated using whistler dispersion measurements from the Voyager 1 plasma wave instrument and heavy ion plasma concentrations from the plasma instrument. Two models are developed for the light ion concentration over 14 L shells between L = 5.2 and 6.2, one giving a constant concentration along the field line and the other corresponding to an exponential density distribution. Due to heavy ion concentrations near the equator that are typically an order of magnitude larger than the light ion concentration, results obtained are mainly relevant to the light ion concentration outside of the torus. Light ion concentration near the equator ranges from about 1-10% of the heavy ion concentration, while outside the torus the light ions are the dominant species.

Tokar, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Ion frictional heating at high latitudes and its possible use for an in situ determination of neutral thermospheric winds and temperatures

The Atmosphere Explorer C data base of ion temperature and ion drift velocities has been used to study the long recognized principle that large scale convection electric fields are responsible for substantial enhancements in the ion temperature at high latitudes. As had been indicated by various authors previously, the present study shows that there is a clear relationship between large ion velocities and ion temperature enhancements. Furthermore, with the help of a more quantitative study, it is found that, since ion heating is sensitive to the relative motion between the ion and neutral gases, the ion temperature and drift measurements can be used to extract neutral wind and neutral temperature information along the satellite track. From a study of several examples, it is concluded that the present approach can be used with varying degrees of accuracy for the diagnostic of thermospheric dynamical properties above 300 km when those properties are not measured directly. When neutral dynamical properties are measured, the approach could be used for a detailed study of the ion energy balance at high latitudes.

Saint-Maurice, J.-P.↗