Measurement of the Electron Density of a Wind-Tunnel Plasma Using a Double Flush-Mounted Probe

It is difficult to diagnose the electron density of a high-temperature ablation plasma flow field because a traditional cylindrical Langmuir probe (CP) is easily damaged under these conditions. In this work, a new type of embedded Langmuir probe, referred to as a double flush-mounted probe (DFP), was developed to measure the electron density of a high-temperature ablation plasma flow field. It was verified that the DFP can work stably in different types of wind tunnels. In addition, the results from the new probe were compared with those from a CP. The results suggest that the DFP can be used to accurately determine the plasma density over long time periods. Therefore, this work provides a feasible method for solving the problem of online diagnostics in a high-temperature ablation plasma flow field.