Research

Research within IPPL covers a broad range of topics relevant to the physics and engineering behind in-space propulsion. These currently include:

Phase plots showing the formation and evolution of two-stream instability

Plots of electric field and electron density fluctuations due to ECD instability and the induced electron transport

Schematics of a proposed hybrid chemical-electrical propulsion system

Pictures of ICE-Cube (left), ICE200 (middle), and ICE200 hot firing test

WET-HET thruster inside vacuum chamber and operating with and without magnetic field