Data from ARCS rocket ion beam injection experiments are primarily discussed. There are three results from this series of active experiments that are of particular interest in space plasma physics. These are the transverse acceleration of ambient ions in the large beam volume, the scattering of beam ions near the release payload, and the possible acceleration of electrons very close to the plasma generator which produce intense high frequency waves. The ability of 100 ma ion beam injections into the upper E and F regions of the ionosphere to produce these phenomena appear to be related solely to the process by which the plasma release payload and the ion beam are neutralized. Since the electrons in the plasma release do not convect with the plasma ions, the neutralization of both the payload and beam must be accomplished by large field-aligned currents (milliamperes/square meter) which are very unstable to wave growth of various modes.
Plasma effects of active ion beam injections in the ionosphere at rocket altitudes
Advances in Space Research ; 12 , 12 D
1992-12-01
Miscellaneous
No indication
English
Ion beam releases at rocket altitudes
NTRS | 1988
|Ion beam releases at rocket altitudes
Elsevier | 1988
|Thrust augmentation of rocket motors at high altitudes
Engineering Index Backfile | 1964
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