Thrust Characteristics of a Laser-Assisted Pulsed Plasma Thruster

An assessment of a novel laser-electric hybrid propulsion system was conducted, in which a laser-induced plasma was induced through laser beam irradiation onto a solid target and accelerated by electrical means instead of direct acceleration only by using a laser beam. A fundamental study of newly developed rectangular laser-assisted pulsed-plasma thruster (PPT) was conducted. On discharge characteristics and thrust performances with increased peak current compared to our previous study to increase effects of electromagnetic forces on plasma acceleration. Maximum peak current increased for our early study by increasing electromagnetic effects in a laser assisted PPT. At 8.65 J discharge energy, the maximum current reached about 8000 A. Plasma behaviors emitted from a thruster in various cases were observed with an ICCD camera. It was shown that the plasma behaviors were almost identical between low and high voltage cases in initial several hundred nanoseconds, however, plasma emission with longer duration was observed in higher voltage cases. Canted current sheet structures were also observed in the higher voltage cases using a larger capacitor. With a newly developed torsion-balance type thrust stand, thrust performances of laser assisted PPT could be estimated. The impulse bit and specific impulse linearly increased. On the other hand, coupling coefficient and the thrust efficiency did not increase linearly. The coupling coefficient decreased with energy showing maximum value (20.8 ？Nsec/J) at 0 J, or in a pure laser ablation cases. Thrust efficiency first decreased with energy from 0 to 1.4 J and then increased linearly with energy from 1.4 J to 8.6 J. At 8.65 J operation, impulse bit of 38.1 ？Nsec, specific impulse of 3791 sec, thrust efficiency of 8 %, and coupling coefficient of 4.3 ？Nsec/J were obtained.