Coupling plasma plume of a low-power magnetically shielded Hall thruster with a hollow cathode

The coupling region of a Hall thruster with a hollow cathode is the region between the cathode and the thruster plume. The characteristics of plasma in that region are complicated and strongly associated with the thruster working conditions and the cathode position. In this paper, a laboratory 100 W class magnetically shielded Hall thruster was coupled with a hollow cathode. Optical imaging and electrostatic probe were employed to monitor and scan the plasma plume. Plume characteristics in the coupling region in non-self-sustained mode and self-sustained mode were compared. Evolution of the coupling plume with the cathode position was studied. Experiments show that, when turning the thruster into self-sustained mode or moving the cathode further away axially, the discharge current can be reduced by 6.4–10.6% restraining the electron current and improving ionization. In particular, when the cathode is moved further, the electron conduction near the channel walls is suppressed. The electron current is reduced by 27.4% and the ion beam current is increased by 7%. Overall, this work shows that the working mode of the thruster and the position of the cathode greatly affect the coupling plasma plume. Both play an important role in improving the utilizations of propellant and current.     

Propagation of cylindrical and spherical dust–ion acoustic solitary waves in a relativistic dusty plasma

The properties of cylindrical and spherical dust–ion acoustic solitary waves (DIASW) in an unmagnetized dusty plasma comprising of relativistic ions, Boltzmann electrons, and stationary dusty particles are investigated. Under a suitable coordinate transformation, the cylindrical KdV equation can be solved analytically. The change of the DIASW structure due to the effect of geometry, relativistic streaming factor, ion density and electron temperature is studied by numerical calculation of the cylindrical/spherical Kdv equation. It is noted that with ion pressure the effect of relativistic streaming factor to solitary waves structure is different. Without ion pressure, as the relativistic streaming factor decreases, the amplitude of the solitary wave decreases. However, when the ion pressure is taken into account, the amplitude decreases as the relativistic streaming factor increases and is highly sensitive to relativistic streaming factor. Our results may have relevance in the understanding of astrophysical plasmas.     

Nonplanar electron acoustic shock waves

The properties of cylindrical and spherical electron acoustic shock waves (EASWs) in an unmagnetized plasma consisting of cold electrons, immobile ions and Boltzmann distributed hot electrons are investigated by employing the reductive perturbation method. A Korteweg–de Vries Burgers (KdVB) equation is derived and its numerical solution is obtained. The effects of several parameters and ion kinematic viscosity on the basic features of EA shock waves are discussed in nonplanar geometry. It is found that nonplanar EA shock waves behave quite differently from their one-dimensional planar counterpart.     

Using GPS-TEC data to calibrate VTEC computed with the IRI model over Nigeria

This paper presents the development of a Total Electron Content (TEC) map for the Nigerian ionosphere. In this work, TEC measurements obtained from the AFRL-SCINDA GPS (Air Force Research Laboratory-Scintillation Network Decision Aid, Global Positioning System) equipment installed at Nsukka (6.87°N, 7.38°E) are used to adapt the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model for the Nigerian Ionosphere. The map is being developed as a computer program (implemented in the MATLAB programming language) that shows spatial and temporal representations of TEC for the Nigerian ionosphere. The method is aimed at showing how the IRI model can be used to estimate VTEC over wide areas by incorporating GPS measurements. This method is validated by using GPS VTEC data collected from a station in Ilorin (8.50°N, 4.55°E).     

薄壁TC4钛合金电子束焊接应用研究

针对某薄壁TC4钛合金零件的电子束焊接,设计了焊接工装夹具,保证了焊接变形要求。通过工艺试验,确定了合理的焊接方案,成功的实现了该零件的电子束焊接。同时,针对其成功应用的研究过程,从焊接工艺及加工方案上总结出经验,为薄壁类钛合金零件的电子束焊接提供了借鉴依据。     

On the variabilities of the Total Electron Content (TEC) over the Indian low latitude sector

The Total Electron Content (TEC) from four locations in the Indian sector namely, Trivandrum (8.47°N, 76.91°E, Geomag.0.63°S, 0.3° dip), Waltair (17.7° N, 83.3°E, Geomag. 6.4°N, 20° dip), Bhopal (23.28°N, 77.34°E, Geomag.14.26°N, 33.2° dip), and Delhi (28.58°N, 77.21°E, Geomag.19.2°N, 43.4° dip) during a low sunspot year of 2004 are used to study the variabilities of the TEC. The day time TEC values are higher over Waltair and Bhopal compared to those at Trivandrum and Delhi. Considerable day-to-day variations in the diurnal values of TEC are observed at the anomaly crest locations. The observed GPS-TEC has been compared with the IRI-2007 model derived TEC considering three different options (IRI-2001, IRI-2001 corrected and Ne-Quick) available in the model for the topside electron density. The TEC derived with Ne-Quick and IRI-01 corrected options show better agreement with GPS-TEC while the TEC from IRI-01 method shows larger deviations. From the correlation analysis carried out between TEC value at 1300 h LT and solar indices parameters namely sunspot number (SSN), F10.7 and EUV, it is observed that the correlation is more during equinoctial months and less during summer months. The correlation coefficients observed over the anomaly locations, Bhopal and Delhi are lower compared to those at Trivandrum and Waltair.     

Ti_2AlNb基合金电子束焊接头的显微组织

利用透射电子显微镜和能谱,研究电子束焊接过程中Ti_2AlNb基合金显微组织演变过程以及焊缝区组成、焊后热处理对接头显微组织的影响.结果表明:焊接过程中焊缝区Al元素损失较为严重,这有利于B_2相的形成而不利于O相的形成,使得接头焊缝区主要由B_2和α_2两相组成;在随后的热处理过程中,焊缝区的B_2相转变为β相和板条状的O相,使焊缝区由α_2、O和β相组成.     

Obtaining more accurate electron density profiles from bending angle with GPS occultation data: FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC constellation

Since 1995, with the first GPS occultation mission on board Low Earth Orbiter (LEO) GPS/MET, inversion techniques were being applied to GPS occultation data to retrieve accurate worldwide distributed refractivity profiles, i.e. electron density profiles in the case of Ionosphere. Important points to guarantee the accuracy is to take into account horizontal gradients and topside electron content above the LEO orbit. This allows improving the accuracy from 20% to 50%, depending on the conditions, latitude and epoch regarding to Solar cycle as reported in previous works.     

减压直流等离子体射流电子温度的双静电探针测量

建立了一套双静电探针诊断系统,用于检测在气流量为4．2slm、弧电流为80A、真空室压力为165Pa的条件下纯氩直流非转移弧等离子体射流的电子温度及其分布。结果表明：发生器出口处射流中心的电子温度约为14500K,射流中电子温度随离开发生器出口的轴向或径向距离的增加而单调降低;径向电子温度梯度约为263K／mm,轴向电子温度梯度为69K／mm;射流中电子温度随弧电流增加而单调上升。     

霍尔推力器等离子体羽流粒子模拟

建立了霍尔推力器羽流仿真模型,用单元粒子-直接模拟蒙特卡罗（PIC-DSMC）混合方法对SPT-7推力器的流场进行数值模拟,分析背压、扩张角和电子温度对流场的影响。结果表明：背压粒子增加了回流区内离子和高速粒子,加重羽流污染。SPT-70推力器羽流出口处扩张角约为30°。实验数据验证了仿真模型的正确和方法的可行,对电推力器及其羽流污染等的研究有一定的参考价值。