Shielded electrostatic probe for nonperturbing plasma measurements in Hall thrusters
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The use of shielded electrostatic probe to measure spatial plasma parameters of the quasineutral plasma in Hall thrusters was studied. The probe-induced perturbations could produce changes in the plasma parameters and discharge current on the order of their steady-state values, in Hall thrusters. The perturbations were explored by varying the material, residence time and penetration distance of various probe designs. In a set of experiments with a segmented shield probe, the thruster was operated in the discharge voltages of 200-500 V and input power range of 500 W-2.5 kW, while the probe-induced perturbations of the discharge current were below 4% of its steady-state value.