Thrust Performance of Microwave Rocket at Low Ambient Pressure

抄録

A particle model of plasma was coupled with electromagnetic wave propagation to reproduce a filamentary structure and diffusive pattern in a microwave breakdown. The thrust performance of a microwave rocket was estimated by combining discharge calculation and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). An external magnetic field is applied to the discharge volume to improve thrust performance for low ambient pressure by combination of magnetic confinement and resonance heating technique. The magnetic field suppresses the propagation speed of the ionization front because the electron cannot cross the magnetic field at lower pressure, whereas propagation speed increases with decreased ambient pressure when no magnetic field is applied. The energy absorption rate increases when electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) occurs with the corresponding magnetic field, which improves the thrust performance of the microwave rocket.