The Possibility Study of a Modified Magnetoplasmodynamic Accelerator Application to Produce High-Speed Plasma Flows

To create high-speed plasma flows, it is proposed to use a thermal non-isothermal plasma accelerator, which is a modified magnetoplasmadynamic accelerator containing a hollow resonator. An electrodeless microwave discharge is used to generate and heat the plasma. The increase in plasma formations diamagnetism when creating the necessary magnetic configuration and selecting the appropriate accelerator parameters is theoretically justified. Formulas have been derived that determine the energy of an electron and the average rate of increase of its thermal energy both within the framework of a non-resonant "collisional" model of microwave radiation energy absorption by plasma and within the framework of a resonant "collisionless" model in the electron cyclotron resonance zone. The threshold value of the electric field strength of the microwave discharge and the microwave generator power required to ignite and maintain the discharge are determined. By considering the acceleration of an ideally conducting plasma in a magnetic nozzle, an estimate of the directional velocity of the plasma flow is obtained.