Parametric study of near-wake structure of spherical and cylindrical bodies in the laboratory

Abstract

Some aspects of the interaction between metal bodies and streaming rarefied plasmas were studied in a newly constructed Plasma Wind Tunnel as part of an attempt to investigate (via simulation) phenomena relevant to the spacecraft/space plasma interaction. Detailed near-wake ion current profiles for both spherical and cylindrical bodies at different body potentials ([phi]S) and at different plasma flow parameters are presented. Various features of the profiles can be correlated, at least qualitatively, with both plasma and body characteristics. For example, the width of the wake zone appears proportional to the Debye length ([lambda]D) and depends on the potential of the target body although it appears to be relatively insensitive to the ratio S = Vflow/(2kTe/M+)1/2. The amplitude of the ion current peak(s) also appears proportional to [lambda]D while, for fixed [phi]S, the location of the peak is directly related to S and possibly dependent upon body geometry. The general importance of body geometry is qualitatively demonstrated. In addition, a discussion of the relevance of the above studies to previous in situ data obtained from the Ariel I and Gemini/Agena missions is given.