ERC Consolidator Grant · 2025
Current in-space propulsion technologies are insufficient for the ambitious space missions of the future. Electrodeless plasma thrusters (EPTs) offer a solution to this problem, enabling the use of arbitrary propellants, simplifying device architecture, and facilitating scaling to high powers. Promising performance figures have been recently demonstrated. Nevertheless, EPTs suffer from ‘anomalous transport’ that increases plasma losses to the walls, limiting their efficiency and durability. This is due to plasma instabilities that set up oscillating and turbulent structures nonlinearly, enhanced by the strong electromagnetic fields applied to heat the plasma. However, the exact mechanisms…
From the public funding record at EU CORDIS. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.