Hybrid model of a stationary plasma thruster taking into account the final electron mass

A mathematical model is proposed for studying the processes in a stationary plasma thruster (SPT) taking into account the ionization of the working substance – Xenon, based on the hybrid equations of electromagnetic hydrodynamics of the plasma, which fully take into account the inertia of electrons. The choice of an electromagnetic hydrodynamics model for studying plasma processes is predetermined by their small scale and low concentration of plasma particles in a stationary plasma thruster. The 1D2V case of plane symmetry is considered in detail, for which a numerical algorithm for investigating solutions of hybrid electromagnetic hydrodynamics equations is constructed, based on the method of macroparticles. The solution of a number of fundamental issues is given: the calculation of average values, interpolation, construction of the initial distribution of macroparticles, the choice of boundary conditions for the electric field, etc. The results of calculations with and without taking into account the induction fields in the plasma thruster are presented. The effect of induction fields generated by plasma currents on processes in a stationary plasma thruster and the role of electron inertia have not been studied before, and the results obtained are original. In particular, a new unconventional scheme for calculating the electric field based on the generalized Ohm's law is proposed, which in electromagnetic hydrodynamics is reduced to a boundary value problem for an elliptic system of equations for the components of the electric field and, among other things, requires setting boundary conditions. An important result is the need for spatial and temporal averaging of electromagnetic fields when calculating the acceleration of the thruster plasma, taking into account the induction field.