2025/11/18 by Lim, Gyuha, Levin, Deborah
Engineering · #Computational Physics (physics.comp-ph) #Electrohydrodynamics and Fluid Dynamics #FOS: Physical sciences #Particle accelerators and beam dynamics #Plasma Diagnostics and Applications #Plasma Physics (physics.plasm-ph)
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2511.14036
openalex publication_date 2025/11/18 · openalex created_date 2025/11/20 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We investigate facility effects on a reduced-scale gridded ion thruster plume using a fully kinetic, three-dimensional Particle-in-Cell/Monte Carlo Collision (PIC-MCC) solver coupled with a Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) neutral background. This approach enables detailed examination of key plasma processes governing beam neutralization and wall interactions under ground-test conditions. We find that inelastic electron cooling is essential for achieving a physically consistent, neutralized beam. Increasing the background pressure enhances ion-neutral collisions, leading to more charge- and momentum-exchange events that reduce ion mean energies, broaden the beam, and increase sidewall losses. Including inelastic processes flattens the potential, sustains quasi-neutrality, and preserves beam collimation farther downstream. Single-particle trajectory analyses show that primary electrons undergo mixed escape and temporary trapping, while low energy post-inelastic electrons remain confined, sustaining the neutralization cloud. Sheath diagnostics reveal that at the beam dump, classical Child-Langmuir and Hutchinson models underpredict the sheath length due to residual electrons, while near the sidewall, the sheath is truncated by beam-sheath interference within the compact domain. Current-flow analysis indicates that higher background pressure conditions yield lower beam energies and increased sidewall currents.