A Study of the Magnetic Field inside the Discharge Chamber of an Ion Thruster

Abstract

One of the characteristics that ion thrusters are known for is its high efficiency.  In the process of designing an ion thruster the study of the magnetic field alongside the discharge chamber is crucial to achieve optimal efficiency. This work shows the importance of taking into consideration the materials in the vicinities of the magnets as well as the expected intensity of the magnetitic field inside the thrusters in study. The procedures used to study the magnetic field in the open software used are described in this work. The thruster in study is an oversizing done of a previous one, so the desired results are to obtain the ones obtained for the original engine. Keywords: Ion thruster, High efficiency, Magnetic field