基于碱金属辅助电离的等离子鞘套模拟方法

为解决再入过程中通信黑障与探测异常问题，对等离子体鞘套地面模拟方法进行了研究。以RAM C-II 飞行试验为依据，计算了等离子体鞘套的参数范围。分析现有模拟设备，概括提出了高焓低速风洞的模拟方案，选取相适应的放电方式，并对流量功率进行了计算。针对高温环境对电磁设备造成损坏以及所需功率难以实现的问题，提出添加碱金属的解决方案，并进行了试验验证。试验结果表明，添加碱金属可以使电子密度提升约一个数量级。对方案效果进行评估，预期功率需求降至兆瓦量级。     

微推力ECR离子推力器等离子体源电子获能计算分析

为满足小型航天器的微推进需求,开展了微推力电子回旋共振(ECR)离子推力器的计算研究。实现该推力器的关键是ECR等离子体源合理的磁场和电场分布数值计算,从而使电子在穿过ECR谐振区时能够获得最大能量。为此以双环形永磁材料结构作为磁路,分别以直线形、环形和盘形微波耦合天线产生微波电磁场,同时改变等离子体源特征长度,利用有限元软件计算并分析ECR等离子体源内磁场和微波电场的分布规律以及电子在ECR区的获能规律。结果以微波输入功率5W、频率4.2GHz为例,发现环形耦合天线与较短等离子体源特征长度的结构组合可使电子在ECR区的获能指标达到最大且分布最佳。     

柔性薄壁结构电子束焊接的变形控制

基于电子束焊接方法,探讨了功率分出轴柔性薄壁结构真空电子束焊接过程中的变形控制方法,提出了综合应用最小焊接热输入、减小焊接重叠角度和合理焊接装配及散热相结合的变形控制方法,有效地控制了焊接变形,实现了电子束焊接柔性薄壁结构的制造。     

某型滑轨组件焊接工艺研究

某型滑轨组件采用结构钢基体与厚度为1.5mm的无油自润滑轴承衬板焊接而成。结构钢基体采用18Cr2Ni4WA材料,具有支撑、保证整体刚性的作用。将自润滑衬板冲压成形与滑轨紧密贴合后,边缘采用电子束焊接工艺进行连接。提出一种抗脱落、耐摩擦、精度高、摩擦系数小、成本低、能承受较大载荷的高压燃油柱塞泵滑轨的结构设计方案及加工工艺。     

Electron density retrieval from occulting GNSS signals using a gradient-aided inversion technique

In the coming years, opportunities for remote sensing of electron density in the Earth’s ionosphere will expand with the advent of Galileo, which will become part of the global navigation satellite system (GNSS). Methods for accurate electron density retrieval from radio occultation data continue to improve. We describe a new method of electron density retrieval using total electron content measurements obtained in low Earth orbit. This method can be applied to data from dual-frequency receivers tracking the GPS or Galileo transmitters. This simulation study demonstrates that the method significantly improves retrieval accuracy compared to the standard Abel inversion approach that assumes a spherically symmetric ionosphere. Our method incorporates horizontal gradient information available from global maps of Total Electron Content (TEC), which are available from the International GNSS Service (IGS) on a routine basis. The combination of ground and space measurements allows us to improve the accuracy of electron density profiles near the occultation tangent point in the E and F regions of the ionosphere.     

Peculiarities of the nighttime winter foF2 increase over Irkutsk

An analysis of properties and peculiarities of the nighttime winter foF2 increases (NWI) in the East Siberia is made on data of ionospheric station Irkutsk in the periods 1958–1992 and 2002–2009 and the empirical model of the F2 layer critical frequency under the geomagnetic quiet conditions deduced from these data (model Q-F2). It is revealed, that the NWI is the stable regularity of the quiet ionosphere over Irkutsk. The amplitude of the NWI (the difference between maximum and minimum foF2 values at night hours) is the greatest in December–January and nearly the same at low and middle solar activity. It is a peculiarity of the quiet ionosphere in the East Siberia. Maximum in night foF2 under quiet geomagnetic conditions is observed mainly after midnight (02-04 LT) and is shifted to predawn hours as solar activity increases. At low solar activity the quiet ionosphere at ∼02–04 LT shows the following properties: (a) the fluctuations of foF2 and hmF2 are in the reverse correlation but this dependence is weak; (b) very strong fluctuations of foF2 (|δfoF2| > 30%) occur seldom (∼4% of events) and almost all of them are positive; an example of very strong fluctuations of foF2 up to 60% can be an extreme increase in the foF2 on 19.12.2008; (c) the very strong enhancements of foF2 in the NWI maximum can be observed at the low geomagnetic activity, they occur more often during substorms but very seldom during geomagnetic storms. Possible reasons of these properties of NWI are discussed.     

Possible interstellar anions: CnS and CnO (n = 2–8)

The geometries, electron affinities and/or electron detachment energies for the C_nS and C_nO (n = 2–8) molecules and their anions were calculated by using the RCCSD (T) method. The C_nS⁻ (even n = 4, 6, and 8) and C_nO⁻ (even n = 6 and 8) anions are found to be substantially more stable than their corresponding neutral species. Several anions are potentially detectable as interstellar molecules.     

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.