Instabilities in MPD thruster flows: 1. Space charge instabilities in unbounded and inhomogeneous plasmas

For a few years, the study of magnetoplasmadynamic instabilities has received increased attention because they may explain the so-called `onset' phenomena which limit the efficiency and, thus, the use of coaxial plasma accelerators in space propulsion and other applications. A systematic investigation of instabilities in magnetoplasmadynamic flows was initiated at the Institut für Raumfahrtsysteme in 1987. Among other instabilities, a particular one with the characteristics of the space charge instability was found. This instability had until then been known to occur only in finite gas discharge geometries. It will be shown in this paper that, in the presence of gradients of the flow variables, space charge instabilities can also appear in unbounded plasmas. The conditions for their development and growth are determined and discussed.