Mechanism and operation parameters of a plasma-driven micro-particle accelerator

There is a large amount of micro debris ranging between millimeters and micrometers in space, which has significant influence on the reliability and life of spacecrafts through long-duration integrated impacts and has to be considered in designing a vehicle's suitability to the space environment. In order to simulate the micro-impacts on exposed materials, a plasma-driven micro-particle accelerator was developed. The major processes, including the acceleration, compression and ejection of plasmas, were modeled. By comparing the theoretical simulations with the experimental results, the acceleration mechanism was clarified. Moreover, through a series of experiments, the optimum operation range was investigated, and the acceleration ability was primarily determined.