Helicon plasma sources currently represent an active field of research in the domain of low-temperature plasmas due to several interesting characteristics for in-space propulsion applications. This work reports direct comparison of krypton and xenon plasma properties through spatially resolved measurements performed in the near-field plume of a sub-kilowatt-class 13.56 MHz helicon source. The set of developed and employed intrusive diagnostics is comprehensively described. The magnetic components of the plasma rf field are inferred using a 3D B-dot probe along the reactor axial direction with and without the externally applied DC magnetic field. Plasma floating potential fluctuations are measured using a capacitive probe to draw design requirements for a rf-compensated Langmuir probe. The latter is used to perform axial and radial measurements of plasma density, electron temperature, and plasma potential. A four-grids retarding potential analyzer is used to infer the ion kinetic energy downstream the source exit. The effect of magnetic field magnitude on ions and electrons properties is especially investigated.

中文翻译：

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螺旋等离子体源电磁喷嘴中k和氙放电特性的直接实验比较

由于空间推进应用的几个有趣特性，螺旋等离子体源目前代表着低温等离子体领域的一个活跃研究领域。这项工作报告了通过在亚千瓦级13.56 MHz螺旋螺线管源的近场羽流中进行的空间分辨测量，直接比较了and和氙等离子体的性质。全面描述了已开发和采用的侵入式诊断程序集。使用3D B点推断等离子射频场的磁性分量在有或没有外部施加的直流磁场的情况下，沿着反应堆的轴向探测探头。使用电容式探头测量血浆浮置电位波动，以得出射频补偿Langmuir探头的设计要求。后者用于执行轴向和径向测量等离子体密度，电子温度和等离子体电势。使用四栅减速电位分析仪来推断离子源出口下游的离子动能。特别研究了磁场强度对离子和电子性质的影响。