Ionization and ablation phenomena in an ablative plasma accelerator

Several interrelated phenomena near the surface ablated into a discharge plasma, such as ablation and ionization in accelerated plasma are studied. Two characteristic ablation modes are identified, namely, ablation mode with a velocity at the Knudsen layer edge smaller than the local sound speed and a velocity at the Knudsen layer edge close to the sound speed. The existence of these two ablation modes is determined by the current density in the acceleration region. The nonequilibrium ionization region in the presence of strong electromagnetic plasma acceleration is studied. In the subsonic regime, the ionization region thickness is proportional to the ionization rate and inversely proportional to the magnetic field. Conditions for ionization equilibrium in the accelerating plasma are determined. The specific example of a micropulsed plasma thruster is considered. It is concluded that both the equilibrium and nonequilibrium ionization regimes occur in this device. © 2004 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.1805726]