2D Full Particle Simulation on the Effects of Magnetic Field Configuration of Ion Thruster

In order to clarify how magnetic field configuration of discharge chamber impacts on ion thruster characteristics like thrust, impulse, ion beam and so on, a two-dimensional axial symmetry full particle numerical model is established based on the PIC/MCC method. The research is carried out on the generation and movement of plasma in a 10cm×5cm cylindrical discharge chamber. The simulation results show that increasing the proportion of non-magnetic region can improve plasma distribution and macro performance of ion thruster to some extent. The referential parameters contain ionization rate, uniformity, thrust, impulse, discharge loss etc. Moreover, increasing the radius of the downstream magnetic ring close to screen grid alone is an optimization method to further improve overall performance of ion thruster. From the simulation, the influences of magnetic field configuration on plasma characteristics and ion thruster performance are analyzed, which can provide a general reference for the actual design of ion thruster.