A diffusion model in velocity space to describe the electron dynamics in an ECR plasma thruster with magnetic nozzle

Impact of the Microwave Coupling Structure on an Electron-Cyclotron Resonance Thruster

“…Indeed, its collector and guard ring intercept magnetic field lines that come out from the thruster. By imposing a highly negative bias voltage, the probe creates a potential barrier, confining electrons that would have otherwise escaped from the effective potential well of the thruster [20]. This increased confinement results in a change of the electron energy distribution in the magnetic field tube intercepted by the probe.…”