Development of a new time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence diagnostic

Better understanding of dynamic plasma processes will allow improvements in simulation and prediction of electric propulsion (EP) thruster operation and erosion, and ultimately lead to advancements in thruster technology. Time-resolved measurements are needed, for example, to understand how bimodal average ion velocity distributions can arise in a Hall effect thruster (HET) [1]. For these reasons, we are developing a time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) diagnostic to interrogate EP thrusters. In this paper we present the development and results of initial tests investigating the Hall effect thruster breathing mode.