Acknowledgements

As shown in Figure 9, the impulse bit in pure laser propulsion mode can be estimated as 10–30 μNs with an approximate specific impulse of 100–300 s and thrust efficiency of 1–4%. In contrast with the pure laser propulsion mode, the thrust performance in electromagnetic acceleration mode is much better. It is apparent that the discharge processes do enhance and accelerate the laser plasma. And the thrust performance is proven to be improved by

In this paper, a novel laser ablation plasma thruster with electromagnetic acceleration is presented. The plasma expansion and ionization induced by nanosecond pulsed laser in a ceramic tube are investigated by using the numerical method. The heat conduction model and fluid dynamics model are established to calculate the target ablation and plasma properties. Moreover, a rectangular electrode configuration with several capacitors and a ceramic tube is used, which allows the metals to be used as propellants. Preliminary experiments on the discharge characteristics and thrust performance are conducted and analyzed. Following

1. Along the centerline of the ceramic tube, the peak values of plasma velocity, temperature and electron number density fraction distribute at the front of the plasma. The plasma

velocity increases with time, but the increasing rate gradually decreases.

the electromagnetic acceleration.

Figure 11. Variations of thrust efficiency with charged energy.

204 Plasma Science and Technology - Basic Fundamentals and Modern Applications

conclusions are achieved and summarized.

5. Discussion

The authors would like to thank National Natural Science Foundation of China for the financial assistance provided under the grant numbers 11772354 for this work.
