Waves and Instabilities in E × B Dusty Plasma

Hall thrusters are common examples of E (cid:1) B configuration, where electron trajectory gets trapped along the external magnetic field lines. This significantly increases the residence time of electrons in the plasma discharge channel. Hall thrusters are potential candidates for spacecraft station keeping, rephrasing and orbit topping applications because of its high thrust resolutions and efficiency. The goal of this chapter is to explain the working principle of Hall thrusters and to characterize the resistive instability in hot dusty plasma. The studies of these instabilities are useful to design efficient Hall thrusters and to understand the solar dusty plasma. The large amplitude of these oscillations has an adverse effect on the power processing unit of the devices. This reduces the efficiency and specific impulse and shortens the operating life of the Hall thruster. The theory of linearization of fluid equation for small oscillation has been given. The chapter also discusses the origin of plasma oscillation in a plasma discharge mechanics.