Coupling plasma physics and chemistry in the PIC model of electric propulsion: Application to an air-breathing, low-power Hall thruster

This work represents a first attempt to include the complex variety of electron-molecule processes in a full kinetic particle-in-cell/test particle Monte Carlo model for the plasma and neutral gas phase in a Hall thruster. Particular emphasis has been placed on Earth's atmosphere species for the air-breathing concept. The coupling between the plasma and the gas phase is self-consistently captured by assuming the cold gas approximation and considering gas-wall and gas recycling from the walls due to ion neutralization. The results showed that, with air molecular propellants, all the most relevant thruster performance figures degraded relative to the nominal case using Xe propellant. The main reasons can be ascribed to a reduced ionization cross-section, a larger gas ionization mean free path due to lighter mass air species, and additional electron collisional power losses. While vibrational excitations power losses are negligible, dissociation and electronic excitations compete with the ionization channel. In addition, for molecular oxygen, the large dissociation leads to even faster atoms, further reducing their transit time inside the discharge channel. Future studies are needed to investigate the role of non-equilibrium vibrational kinetics and metastable states for stepwise ionization

Non-classical plasma sheaths: space-charge-limited and inverse regimes under strong emission from surfaces

The collisionless plasma sheath represents an important example of Vlasov theory application. In this study, Particle-in-Cell/Monte Carlo Collision methodology has been used to study different examples of plasma sheaths under strong negative charge emission from surface. Secondary electrons emitted by primary electrons (acceleration region of Hall-effect discharge) and by photons (dusty plasma) are responsible for a complete inverse sheath: the potential monotonically increases toward a positively charged wall that is shielded by a single layer of negative charge. No ion-accelerating presheath exists in the bulk plasma region and the ion flux at the wall is zero. In the case of production of hydrogen negative ions by neutral conversion on the plasma grid in the extraction region of a negative ion source, a space-charge-limited regime occurs with the formation of a non-monotonic double layer in front of the grid

Non-equilibrium in low-temperature plasmas

The wide range of applications of cold plasmas originates from their special characteristic of being a physical system out of thermodynamic equilibrium. This property enhances its reactivity at low gas temperature and allows to obtain macroscopic effects with a moderate energy consumption. In this review, the basic concepts of non-equilibrium in ionized gases are treated by showing why and how non-equilibrium functions of the degrees of freedom are formed in a variety of natural and man-made plasmas with particular emphasis on the progress made in the last decade. The modern point of view of a molecular basis of non-equilibrium and of a state-to-state kinetic approach is adopted. Computational and diagnostic techniques used to investigate the non-equilibrium conditions are also surveyed

UTILITY OF CYTOKERATIN 20 IN IDENTIFYING THE ORIGIN OF METASTATIC CARCINOMAS IN EFFUSIONS

Using a commercially available monoclonal antibody (K(s)20.1) and the avidin-biotin peroxidase method on cytospins and cell blocks, we analyzed cytokeratin (CK) 20 expression in 169 serous effusions. Cytoplasmic staining was observed in 44/151 malignant fluids. Colon, gastric, and pancreatic adenocarcinomas and mucinous ovarian tumors were most frequently positive. Single cases of transitional-cell and squamous cell carcinomas were reactive as well. Lung and breast cancers were mostly negative. Nonmucinous ovarian tumors were invariably unlabeled as were mesotheliomas and normal mesothelial cells. The study shows that CK 20 is valuable in distinguishing tumor cell origin in effusions. In particular, it identifies a set of carcinomas with the majority arising from the gastrointestinal tract, and represents a highly characteristics marker for colorectal cancer. Diagn Cytopathol 1995; 12:303-308. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc

Anomalous Transport induced by Sheath Instability in Hall Effect Thrusters

It is well recognized to ascribe the anomalous cross-field conductivity inside Hall-effect thrusters to fluctuation-induced transport due to gradient-driven instabilities (Rayleigh or electron drift) and to electron-wall interaction (near-wall conductivity). In this contribution Nomenclatur