Extensive resources have been allocated to diagnose and minimize lifetime-limiting factors in gridded ion thrusters. While most of this effort has focused on grid erosion, results from wear tests indicate that discharge cathode erosion may also play an important role in limiting the lifetime of ring-cusp ion thrusters proposed for future large flagship missions. The detailed characterization of...

An laser ion source which produces bunched ion beam is proposed to enhance an acceleration efficiency of ion accelerator front end with RFQ linac. To demonstrate a production of an initially bunched ion beam, H2 gas was ionized by short pulse laser in an RF electric field. As a result, ions captured by the RF field were observed by an ion probe.

The effects of dissimilar probe design and facility backpressure on the measured ion current densities of Hall thrusters are investigated. JPL and GRC designed nude Faraday probes are used to simultaneously measure the ion current density of a 5 kW Hall thruster in the Large Vacuum Test Facility (LVTF) at the University of Michigan. The probes are located one meter from the exit plane of the Ha...

Understanding the transport property of Li ions is crucial for improving performance Li-ion batteries. To investigate ion diffusion at high temperatures, we constructed a high-temperature pulsed-field-gradient (PFG) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) probe capable measurements temperatures >700 K. The accuracy sample temperature was confirmed via 79Br NMR KBr. 7Li PFG-NMR Li2CO3 were performed up...

AIMS Various pathological conditions can alter cardiac electrophysiological properties not only by physiological responses but also by modifying the gene expression of ion channels (electrical remodelling). To investigate the underlying mechanisms of the latter, electrophysiological alterations would require a simultaneous and comprehensive analysis of the mRNA level of the ion channel genes. ...

The presence of mobile ions complicates the implementation of voltage-modulated scanning probe microscopy techniques such as Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). Overcoming this technical hurdle, however, provides a unique opportunity to probe ion dynamics and electrochemical processes in liquid environments and the possibility to unravel the underlying mechanisms behind important processes at...

The floating potential of an emissive cylindrical probe in a plasma is calculated for an arbitrary ratio of Debye length to probe radius and for an arbitrary ion composition. In their motion to the probe the ions are assumed to be collisionless. For a small Debye length, a two-scale analysis for the quasineutral plasma and for the sheath provides analytical expressions for the emitted and colle...

3.2. Two-Photon Lithography (TPL) 919 4. Serial Writing with Charged Particles 920 4.1. Electron Beam Lithography 920 4.2. Ion Beam Lithography 920 4.3. Scanning Probe Resist Lithography 921 5. Microand Nanomachining 921 5.1. Focused Ion Beam 921 5.2. Scanning Probe Nanomachining 921 6. Direct Writing and Material Deposition 921 7. Moulding 922 7.1. Mould Fabrication 922 7.2. Demoulding: Mould ...