Analysis of the Anomalous Phenomenon in the Retarding Potential Analyzer Measurements

An anomalous phenomenon was observed in the retarding potential analyzer （RPA） measurements of the energy of the ion beam from an 8 cm argon ion source. The current-voltage （Ⅰ- Ⅴ） curve, which should theoretically descend, went up as the ion retarding potential was increased. Various explanations, such as the Townsend discharge theory and secondary electron emission etc. were proposed but denied by the theory application condition or the experiment results. An angle of about -10° was found between the axes of the ion beam and the RPA according to the contours of the ion beam density and direction. The particle simulation and experiment of the sum of the collector and wall current were conducted at different incident ion angles. The trends of the Ⅰ- Ⅴ curve in simulation results conformed with the experimental results in most cases. The ion trajectories were simulated at different retarding potentials with an incident angle of -10°. According ：to these results, the reason for the anomalous phenomenon is that when there is a specific angle between the axes of the ion beam and the RPA, more ions are repelled from the vicinity of the ion retarding grid to avoid striking on the grid as the ion retarding potential increases. These redundant ions reach the plate and thus lead to the formation of an ascending Ⅰ- Ⅴ curve.

INFLUENCE OF ACUPUNCTURE ("JIN'S SAN ZHEN") ON BRAINSTEM EVOKED POTENTIALS IN MENTAL RETARDATION CHILDREN

Objective: To investigate the effect of acupuncture ("JIN’s San Zhen") on infantile mental retardation (MR). Methods: 44 cases of MR children were attributed to treatment group and 39 normal children to control group. P 3 (event related potential) and brainstem evoked potentials were used as the indexes. Acupoints "Si shen Zhen", "Head Zhi San Zhen", "Hand Zhi San Zhen", "Foot Zhi San Zhen" were punctured with filiform needles, and stimulated by manipulating the needle once every 5 minutes with uniform reinforcing reducing method. The treatment was conducted once daily, 6 times every week, with 4 months being a therapeutic course. Results: In comparison with normal children, the latency of P 3 was longer and its amplitude lower in MR children. After 4 months’ acupuncture treatment, the latency was shortened and the amplitude increased significantly in comparison with pre treatment (P<0.01, 0.05). Results of the total intelligence quotient (TIQ) evaluation showed a 70.3% coincidence rate compared with improvement of P 3. Conclusion: Changes of P 3 and BAEP(brain auditory evoked potential) after acupuncture treatment may be related to the effect of "JIN’s San Zhen" in bettering clinical symptoms and signs of MR infantile patients.

Characterization of an ionic liquid electrospray thruster with a porous ceramic emitter

An ionic liquid(IL)electrospray thruster was developed for application in micro-nano satellites or gravitational wave detectors.The thruster employed a porous ceramic emitter with seven emitter strips located on its emission surface.Without any liquid-supply device,IL was delivered through porous media to emitter strips via capillary effect.Multiple emission sites then formed at the tip of each strip.A charged beam of up to 350μA(with a current density of 540μA cm^(-2))was stably produced in the negative mode.However,in the positive mode,a corona was observed which could prevent the thruster from emitting larger current.A time-of-flight mass spectrometer with significantly improved signal-to-noise ratio was built,which was used to obtain the mass distribution of the beam of the thruster.A retarding potential analysis was also performed.The test results showed that the thruster worked in the pure-ion regime,and delivered a maximum thrust of 67.1μN with specific impulses of 3952 s and 3117 s in the positive and negative modes,respectively.

Energy properties and spatial plume profile of ionic liquid ion sources based on an array of porous metal strips

An ionic liquid ion source(ILIS)is a kind of high brightness ion source capable of providing high-speed positive or negative ion beams.This paper presents a miniaturized ILIS based on an array of porous metal strips.The porous emitter array,integrated with seven 10 mm long strips,is fabricated using wire electrical discharge machining(WEDM)combined with electrochemical etching.The assembled ILIS is 30 mm×30 mm×17.5 mm in size and weighs less than 25 g.A series of experiments,including anⅠ-Ⅴcharacteristic test,a retarding potential analyzer(RPA)test,and a spatial plume distribution test,have been conducted in vacuo to characterize the performance of the ILIS.Results show that the emitted current is up to about 800μA and ion transparency is as high as 94%.Besides,RPA curves reveal that the total fragmentation rate of the emitted particles accounts for 48.8%in positive mode and 59.8%in negative mode.Further,with the increase in applied acceleration voltage,the voltage loss rises while the energy efficiency decreases.It is also found that the plume perpendicular to the strips has a higher divergence than the one parallel to the strips.A numerical simulation by COMSOL reveals that the electric field distribution between the two electrodes results in such a spatial plume profile.