Electromagnetic Propulsion

Brice CassentiUniversity of Connecticut

Electromagentic Propulsion

• Electric Rocket Propulsion• Solar and Laser Sailing

Electromagnetic Forces• Particle with – Charge– Mass– Velocity

• Electric Field Intensity• Magnetic Flux Density

• Equation of motion

q

E

B

mv

BvEqdtvdm

Plasma Drift

B applied magnetic fieldE applied electric fieldj current due to Ev drift velocity

Hall Effect in a Solid

http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~bradfiel/advlab/Hall/hall-effect.pdf

Current Flow in a Plasma

• In a neutral plasma– – ni , ne are the ion and electron number densities

• Current is

– is the conductivity

eeii vnvnqj

dtndj

dtjd

nqm

nqp

nqBjBvEj

e

e

e

e

e

ln

Resistojet

Humble, et al

Electron Bombardment Ion Thruster

Sutton

Rail Acclerator

Sutton

MPD Arcjet

Sutton

Hall Accelerator

Sutton

Solar and Laser Sails

• Momentum of light–

• Pressure due to reflection–

• Intensity of sun at earth– 1360 W/m2

cEP /

cIp /2

Solar Sails

Google “Solar Sail images”

Laser Sails

R.L. Forward

Microwave Sail - Starwisp

R.L. Forward

References• Davidson, R.C. and H. Qin, Physics of Intense Charged Particle Beams in High Energy

Physics, Imperial College Press, London and World Scientific Publishing Co., Pte. Ltd., Singapore, 2001.

• Davidson, R.C., Physics of Nonneutral Plasmas, Imperial College Press, London and World Scientific Publishing Co., Pte. Ltd., Singapore, 2001.

• Forward, R.L., Beamed Power Propulsion to the Stars, AAAS Symposium on Interstellar Communication and Travel, AAAS Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, 25-20 May 1986

• Hughes, W.F., and J.A. Brighton, Theory and Problems of Fluid Dynamics, Schaum’s Outline Series, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, 1967.

• Humble, R.W., G.N. Henry, and W.J. Larson, Space Propulsion Analysis and Design, The McGraw-Hill Publishing Companies, Inc., New York, 1995.

• Jeffrey, A., Magnetohydrodynamics, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1966.• Samaras, D.G., Theory of Ion Flow Dynamics, Dover Publishers, Inc., New York, 1962• Sutton, G. and O. Biblarz, Rocket Propulsion Elements, 7th edition, John Wiley &

Sons, Inc., New York, 2001.