/sci/ - Science & Math

>>12296314
https://physics.anu.edu.au/cpf/sp3/hdlt/how_does_it_work.php

The HDLT uses a couple of helicon magnets and some RF exciters to turn the gas propellant into plasma inside a ceramic tube, and then the plasma self-arranges into a "double layer" similar to Earth's aurora, which makes an electrical potential cliff and makes the plasma yeet itself out the back of the thruster.

>so why is this better than VASIMR?

Because of the double layer trick you need way less external power to work - even with room temperature regular magnets efficiency approaches 10kWe/1N, which is ~4x more efficient than a VASIMR with LN2-chilled superconductors. Using superconducting magnets you can probably get HDLT over 2N/kWe, which starts encroaching on solid core nuclear thermal territory if it scales up properly. It can also use pretty much any fluid for propellant from CO2 to literal piss, whereas VASIMR has only been tested with argon.

>>12296330
I haven't seen any ESA news on the testing since 2014 so they might have canceled it.