Abstract This study focused on the development of a vacuum cathode arc thruster (VAT), particularly on its design, manufacturing process, and demonstration. Characteristically, the proposed thruster does not require any additional propellant feeding system as the cathode electrode is simultaneously used as a propellant. In the ignition system, tiny spots are coated on the cathode surface to induce plasma flow. Such a setup has the advantages of simplicity, low price, small size, and low weight and is suitable for microsatellites. Moreover, a “trigger-less” method with an inductor storage power system was used for generating the pulsed plasma. This discharge method can significantly reduce input power. Thrust is mainly caused by high exhaust velocities of metal ions in the plasma flow, making ion density, ion velocity, and ion charge influential parameters. A battery was used instead of a power supply system to reduce the energy consumption of the entire VAT processing unit. The energy required for a single pulse was estimated to be 0.266 J, by measuring the change between the discharge current and the voltage. The ion current was measured using an ion detector and was 3.55 A, and the ion velocity was 23150 m/s. In the theoretical analysis, the VAT prototype proposed in this study achieved a single impulse of 4.31 μNs, a specific impulse of 1571 s, and a thrust efficiency of approximately 12.5%.

中文翻译：

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具有感应储能电路的微型真空阴极电弧推进器的设计与演示

摘要 本研究的重点是真空阴极电弧推进器 (VAT) 的开发，特别是其设计、制造过程和演示。特点是，所提出的推进器不需要任何额外的推进剂供给系统，因为阴极电极同时用作推进剂。在点火系统中，阴极表面上涂有微小的斑点以诱导等离子体流动。这种设置具有简单、价格低、体积小、重量轻的优点，适用于微卫星。此外，使用带有电感存储电源系统的“无触发”方法来产生脉冲等离子体。这种放电方式可以显着降低输入功率。推力主要是由等离子流中金属离子的高排出速度引起的，使得离子密度、离子速度、和离子电荷影响参数。使用电池代替供电系统，降低了整个增值税处理单元的能耗。通过测量放电电流和电压之间的变化，估计单个脉冲所需的能量为 0.266 J。使用离子检测器测量离子电流为3.55A，离子速度为23150m/s。在理论分析中，本研究提出的VAT原型实现了单冲4.31 μNs、比冲1571 s、推力效率约12.5%。使用离子检测器测量离子电流为3.55A，离子速度为23150m/s。在理论分析中，本研究提出的VAT原型实现了单冲4.31 μNs、比冲1571 s、推力效率约12.5%。使用离子检测器测量离子电流为3.55A，离子速度为23150m/s。在理论分析中，本研究提出的VAT原型实现了单冲4.31 μNs、比冲1571 s、推力效率约12.5%。