Operation of a plasma thruster featuring a 1.1 T high temperature superconducting magnet

Operation of a plasma thruster featuring a 1.1 T high temperature superconducting magnet | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Short Report Operation of a plasma thruster featuring a 1.1 T high temperature superconducting magnet Chris R. Acheson, Kiyoshi Kinefuchi, Daisuke Ichihara, Daiki Maeshima, and 13 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4606168/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 8 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Increasingly ambitious space missions rely upon the advancement of propulsion systems, and innovations in electric propulsion represent a vital step toward potential solutions. Electric propulsion research has indicated improved thruster performance at higher magnetic fields, but real-world implementations have been encumbered by available magnet technology. In this study, a new class of superconducting magnet designed for such space applications is demonstrated. A central cathode electrostatic thruster was paired with a conduction cooled high temperature superconducting magnet operated in non-pulsed mode. Using Xe propellant, thrust of 38--73 mN was measured at a central bore magnetic field of 1.13 T and on-anode field of 1.28 T, and the thruster's specific impulse was throttled between 1050s and 1450s. The peak thruster efficiency was 18.7%, inclusive of the power consumption of the magnet subsystems. This was performed without the onset of plasma instabilities, and is the first case in the literature of a high temperature superconducting plasma thruster operating at > 1 T. superconductor HTS magnet CC-EST electrostatic electromagnetic hybrid AF-MPDT Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 13 Aug, 2024 Reviews received at journal 11 Jul, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 21 Jun, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 19 Jun, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 19 Jun, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 19 Jun, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 19 Jun, 2024 First submitted to journal 19 Jun, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4606168","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Short Report","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":321629689,"identity":"0a72a801-a478-455c-9c9f-b1937b643e3f","order_by":0,"name":"Chris R. 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