0000000000528048
AUTHOR
Stéphane Mazouffre
A comprehensive study on the atom flow in the cross-field discharge of a Hall thruster
The flow properties of Xe atoms were investigated in the 1 kW class PPS100-ML Hall effect thruster by means of Doppler-shifted laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy in the near infrared. Fluorescence spectra of the resonant level and the metastable level have been acquired inside and outside the thruster channel under several operating conditions. Analytical treatment and modelling of the measured lineshapes indicate the atom axial velocity increases inside the channel to a value well above the sound speed before decreasing quickly in the near-field plume. Numerical simulations performed with a fluid/kinetic hybrid approach allow us to explain the shape of the velocity profile. Atomic flo…
Fabry–Pérot lineshape analysis in an optically thick expanding plasma
In this work the authors present Fabry–Perot measurements of Ar atom spectral line profiles originating from the expansion of an Ar–N2 thermal plasma into a low pressure environment. The plasma is characterized by strong density, temperature and velocity gradients and it offers a high degree of light absorption for some gas mixtures. First, it is demonstrated that the Abel inversion method cannot be applied under such conditions even if absorption is absent. Second, two approaches are examined to obtain plasma parameters in the case of an optically thick expanding plasma. It is shown that velocity and temperature development along the jet radius can be inferred from experimental lineshapes …
Hyperfine structure of some near-infrared Xe I and Xe II lines
International audience; This work reports on the experimental determination of the hyperfine splitting of the Xe I lines at 828.01 nm and 834.68 nm and the Xe II line at 834.72 nm. Measurements were performed by means of Doppler-free saturation spectroscopy in a low-pressure radio-frequency discharge. The absolute wavelength of all hyperfine components is obtained by way of a high-precision wavemeter backed-up with the absorption spectrum of the NO 2 molecule. We provide an accurate estimate of hyperfine constants for the lower level of the Xe II transition at 834.72 nm. The two Xe I transition outcomes of our experimental study are compared with data available in the literature.
Metastable oxygen atom velocity and temperature in supersonic CO2plasma expansions
Radial and axial velocity distribution functions of metastable oxygen atoms were obtained by way of resonant laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy at 777.19 nm in rarefied supersonic plasma jets produced from pure CO2 and CO2–N2 gas mixtures. The N2 seeded fraction is 3% in volume in order to mimic the Martian atmosphere composition. The measured lineshapes allow computation of the mean radial velocity and the perpendicular temperature, with respect to the jet axis, as well as the mean axial velocity and the parallel temperature. With an arcjet plasma source input power of 6.5 kW, the metastable O(5S) atom axial velocity is around 4500 m s−1 and the atom perpendicular temperature reaches …
Examination of the shock wave regular reflexion phenomenon in a rarefied supersonic plasma flow
The flow properties of a low-pressure weakly ionized supersonic argon plasma jet are examined using Fabry–Perot interferometry and laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy. The flow velocity and equilibrium temperature measured at the torch nozzle exit are in close agreement with computational fluid dynamics calculations. The model also predicts the plasma flow to be in a rarefied regime. Departure from thermal equilibrium is indeed observed behind the nozzle where the parallel temperature differs significantly from the perpendicular temperature. The development of the axial velocity component along the jet center stream line reveals the occurrence of the shock wave regular reflexion phenome…