Physics of Electric Propulsion

Geared toward advanced undergraduates and graduate students, this text systematically develops the concepts of electrical acceleration of gases for propulsion. Author Robert G. Jahn, Professor of Aerospace Sciences at Princeton University, starts his presentation with primary physical principles and concludes with realistic space thruster designs.
Part I consists of a survey of those aspects of electricity, magnetism, and ionized gas mechanics that underlie the physical mechanisms for gas acceleration. These topics constitute the main body of the text. Part II's broad division into the categories of electrothermal, electrostatic, and electromagnetic acceleration mechanisms conforms to the historical development of the field and offers conceptual organization for new students.

ISBN-13: 9780486450407

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Dover Publications

Publication Date: 05-26-2006

Pages: 368

Product Dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.76(d)

Series: Dover Books on Physics

Table of Contents

Part 1. Physical Background
1. The Province of Electric Propulsion
2. Electromagnetic Theory
3. Ionization in Gases
4. Particle Collisions in an Ionized Gas
5. Electrical Conductivity of an Ionized Gas
Part 2. Electrical Acceleration of Gases
6. Electrothermal Acceleration
7. Electrostatic Acceleration
8. Electromagnetic Acceleration--Steady Flow
9. Unsteady Electromagnetic Acceleration
Appendix
Index Show More