Research of the characteristics of a radio-frequency ion thruster with an external magnetic field for use in air-breathing electric propulsion thruster

This work examines the characteristics of a model of a radio-frequency inductive ion thruster (RF IT) with a diameter of 10 cm, operating on nitrogen and oxygen, when an external longitudinal magnetic field with an induction of no more than 75 Gas is applied to the discharge. It has been experimentally shown that an external magnetic field can reduce the energy consumption for ion current generation by up to 40%. Numerical calculations of discharge parameters in nitrogen have demonstrated that atomic ions make a significant contribution to the ion current and thrust. The obtained experimental and computational data made it possible to evaluate the parameters of the RF IT prototype, which determine the possibilities of its use as part of an air-breathing electric propulsion thruster.