Hall thrusters are very efficient and competitive electric propulsion devices for satellites and
are currently in use in a number of telecommunications and government spacecraft. Their …

This contribution presents a short review of electric propulsion (EP) technologies for
satellites and spacecraft. Electric thrusters, also termed ion or plasma thrusters, deliver a low …

This paper provides perspectives on recent progress in understanding the physics of
devices in which the external magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the discharge …

The research challenges for electric propulsion technologies are examined in the context of
s-curve development cycles. It is shown that the need for research is driven both by the …

Plasma thrusters are challenging the monopoly of chemical thrusters in space propulsion.
The specific energy that can be deposited into a plasma beam is orders of magnitude larger …

Rotating spoke phenomena have been observed in a variety of Hall thruster and other E× B
devices. It has been suggested that the spoke may be associated with the enhancement of …

In Paper I [T. Lafleur et al., Phys. Plasmas 23, 053502 (2016)], we demonstrated (using
particle-in-cell simulations) the definite correlation between an anomalously high cross-field …

In the last 30 years, numerical models have revealed different physical mechanisms
involved in the Hall thruster functioning leading to a bridge between analytical …

The ionized gas in Hall-effect plasma accelerators spans a wide range of spatial and
temporal scales, and exhibits diverse physics some of which remain elusive even after …

The current status and challenges of the discharge plasma modeling capabilities in Hall
effect thrusters (HETs) are reviewed. Partially magnetized plasmas in HETs present unique …