A simulation study of interactions of Space-Shuttle generated electron beams with ambient plasma and neutral gas
The object was to conduct large scale simulations of electron beams injected into space. The study of active injection of electron beams from spacecraft is important since it provides valuable insight into beam-plasma interactions and the development of current systems in the ionosphere. However, the beam injection itself is not simple, being constrained by the ability of the spacecraft to draw return current from the ambient plasma. The generation of these return currents is dependent on several factors, including the density of the ambient plasma relative to the beam density, the presence of neutrals around the spacecraft, the configuration of the spacecraft, and the motion of the spacecraft through the plasma. Two dimensional particle simulations with collisional processes included are used to show how these different and often coupled processes can be utilized to enhance beam propagation from the spacecraft. To understand the radical expansion of mechanism of an electron beam from a highly charged spacecraft, two dimensional particle in cell simulations were conducted for a high density electron beam injected parallel to magnetic fields from an isolated equipotential conductor into a cold background plasma. The simulations indicate that charge buildup at the beam stagnation point causes the beam to expand radially to the beam electron gyroradius.