Study of the electric field formation in a multi-cusped magnetic field

The multi-cusped field thruster is a kind of electric thruster adopting a cusped magnetic field to achieve a potentially longer lifetime. It is observed in some experiments that the main electric potential drop forms near the exhaust plane, but the formation mechanism of the electric field in this kind of thrusters is not fully clear yet. Based on the analysis of the electron movement, a 2D Particle-in-Cell plus Monte Carlo model is built to reveal the difference of the constraint to electrons between the central leak path and the lateral region of the thruster. Electron trajectories from cathode are analyzed furthermore. It is found that the central leak path inside the discharge channel may play a significant role in the formation of the main electric potential drop near the exhaust plane