Particle in cell with Monte Carlo simulation of a SPT100 exhaust plume

A two-dimensional axisymmetric numerical code is developed for the simulation of a Hall thruster plume operating in various ambient plasmas. The code is based on a combination of particle simulation for the ionic components (Xe+ and Xe++) and fluid computational techniques for electrons. In particular we have used the Boltzmann relation modified in order to allow for the effect of non isothermal electron temperature based on the adiabatic approximation. In our model, several solutions which have been sparsely considered in previous works are jointly adopted. In particular: the electric field is computed by solving the Poisson equation without assuming quasi-neutrality, which often is violated in the near-field plume region; and collision processes are included by using two new techniques, the ion-neutral Test-Particle Monte Carlo collision model and the Nanbu cumulative small-angle collision theory for ion-ion coulombic collisions. Comparisons with experimental data suggest that the present simulation is accurately modeling the physics of the very-near-field region of the plume.