Breathing oscillations in enlarged cylindrical-anode-layer Hall plasma accelerator

Breathing oscillations in the discharge of an enlarged cylindrical-anode- layer Hall plasma accelerator are investigated by three-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation. Different from the traditional breathing mode in a circular Hall plasma accelerator, the bulk plasma oscillation here is trigged by the potential barrier generated by the concentrated ion beam and substantial enough to compete with the anode voltage. The electric field near the anode is suppressed by the potential barrier thereby decreasing the electron density by ∼36%. The discharge is restored to the normal level after the concentrated beam explodes and then it completes one cycle of electro-driven breathing oscillation. The breathing mode identified by the PIC simulation has a frequency range of ∼156 kHz-∼250 kHz and does not vary monotonically with the discharge voltage. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.