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Analysis of institutional authors

Gonzalez, JAuthorConde, LCorresponding Author

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November 22, 2021
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Charge transport characterization of the alternative low power hybrid ion engine (alphie) with particle-in-cell simulations

Publicated to: PHYSICS OF PLASMAS. 28 (10): 103509- - 2021-10-01 28(10), DOI: 10.1063/5.0060260

Authors:

Dyubo, D; Gonzalez, J; Tsybin, O; Conde, L
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Affiliations

Dutch Inst Fundamental Energy Res, DIFFER, De Zaale 20, NL-5612 AJ Eindhoven, Netherlands - Author
Peter Great St Petersburg Polytech Univ, Inst Phys Nanotechnol & Telecommun, Polytechnichkaya 29, St Petersburg 195221, Russia - Author
Univ Politecn Madrid, Dept Fis Aplicada, ETSI Aeronaut & Espacio, Cardenal Cisneros 3, E-28040 Madrid, Spain - Author
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Abstract

The Alternative Low Power Ion Engine (alphie) is a high specific impulse plasma thruster where both electrons and ions flow combined through the open spaces of its two-grids system. Ionizing electrons from its external cathode travel in toward the ionization chamber accelerated by the potential drop established between the grids, whereas ions exit toward the opposite direction and are later neutralized by electrons emitted from the cathode. In this configuration, the ion current is not space-charge limited, contrary to conventional gridded ion engines where only ions are transported through the grids. Since previous approaches that consider only one charged species are not valid for the alphie two-grids system, the characterization of geometrical parameters is studied using a fully particle-in-cell simulation. This numerical scheme calculates the velocities and positions of electrons and ions within a structured axial-symmetric mesh, which mimics one hole of the grids. The charged particle densities, currents, and their axial and radial mean velocities along the simulation domain are evaluated. Additionally, important reductions in the computational time have been obtained using different time scales for ions and electrons. Numerical results show that moderate changes in the thickness and separation of the grids with respect to the values employed in the prototype currently tested in the laboratory do not significantly affect the exhaust ion current or the ion beam collimation. Since the average velocity of the axial ions is essentially insensitive to small modifications of the geometric parameters, so will the specific impulse and thrust delivered.

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Keywords

CathodesElectron flowElectronsGeometryGrid systemsHigh specific impulseIon beamsIon currentsIon enginesIon flowIonization potentialIonsLow powerPlasma thrustersPotential dropPower hybridsSpace-charge limited

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal PHYSICS OF PLASMAS due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency Scopus (SJR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2021, it was in position , thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Condensed Matter Physics.

Independientemente del impacto esperado determinado por el canal de difusión, es importante destacar el impacto real observado de la propia aportación.

Según las diferentes agencias de indexación, el número de citas acumuladas por esta publicación hasta la fecha 2026-04-24:

  • WoS: 3
  • Scopus: 4
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Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2026-04-24:

  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 7 (PlumX).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • Assignment of a Handle/URN as an identifier within the deposit in the Institutional Repository: https://oa.upm.es/93151/

As a result of the publication of the work in the institutional repository, statistical usage data has been obtained that reflects its impact. In terms of dissemination, we can state that, as of

  • Views: 26
  • Downloads: 10
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Leadership analysis of institutional authors

This work has been carried out with international collaboration, specifically with researchers from: Netherlands; Russia.

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: Last Author (CONDE LOPEZ, LUIS).

the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been CONDE LOPEZ, LUIS.

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Awards linked to the item

This work was partially funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovaci~on y Universidades of Spain under Grant No. RT2018-094409-B-100 and also by the Russian Scientific Foundation under Grant No. 21-72-20029.
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