Particle-in-cell model of the helicon plasma thruster experiment at the University of Brasilia

Abstract

Abstract In this paper we describe a numerical model of a helicon plasma thruster device currently under development at the Laboratory of Plasmas at the University of Brasilia. The two-dimensional model is obtained by representing the device using a cylindrical geometry, and neglecting variations in the azimuthal direction. The computational code solves the electrostatic equations and the equations of motion of charged particles self-consistently using the particle-in-cell approach. Our model predicts the emergence of a structure similar to a current-free double-layer in the plasma, which has been detected in similar experiments.