Discharge Characteristics of the Penning Plasma Source

The results of investigation of discharge characteristics of the Penning plasma source are presented. Volt-ampere characteristics (VAC), energy distribution, and mass-charge composition of ions emitted from the discharge under different modes of its combustion were measured. The connection between the discharge current bursts and increase in the potential drop (up to 50% of the anode voltage) is established. The measured VACs agree well with the theoretical dependencies. It is shown that the content of atomic hydrogen ions increases from 5 to 10% with an increase in the anode voltage from 1 to 3.5 kV and the power applied in the discharge (from 0.2 to 3 W).