Justin M. Little

Hall Thruster Plume Characterization with Spatially Resolved Ion Energy Distribution Measurements

Standard methods for characterizing thruster efficiency using plume diagnostics are insufficient for electric propulsion systems with unknown or highly divergent plume structures. The standard practice of measuring a centerline ion energy distribution function is compared to spat...

Laser absorption spectroscopy measurements of neutral N$$_2$$O in a radio frequency plasma

Infrared laser absorption spectroscopy is tested as a diagnostic for measuring neutral nitrous oxide (N $$_2$$ O) concentrations in a radio frequency (RF) plasma source. Using a quantum cascade laser tuned to an isolated rovibrational mode of N $$_2$$ O, the density of neutral mo...