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Facilities

Cold plasma Experimental Research Station (CEReS)

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  • 1-m-diameter by 1.5-m-length

  • Pump Capabilities (combined pumping capacity of 5,200 L/s-air)

    • CTI-250F cryogenic pump â€‹

    • CTI-10 cryogenic pump

  • Pressure gauges

    • BRAX Worker Bee convection gauges for low vacuum​

    • BRAX Hornet cold cathode gauge

    • Hot cathode gauge

  • Two Alicat mass flow controllers (0-100 sccm)

  • Feedthrough Capabilities

    • Conflat 4.5" (x5)​

    • Conflat 2.75" (x4)

    • Conflat 8" (partially obstructed)

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Vacuum Environment for Space Thruster Analysis (VESTA)

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  • 0.6-m-diameter by 0.6-m-length chamber with attached 0.15-m-diameter by 0.75-m-long flight tube

  • Pump Capabilities (combined pumping capacity of 1,650 L/s-N2)

    • Leybold Turbova 1100 C turbomolecular pump ​

    • Agilent Turbo-V-550 turbomolecular pump

  • Pressure gauges

    • Instrutech Hornet hot cathode gauge

    • Televac thermocouple gauge

    • Cold cathode gauge

  • Feedthrough Capabilities

    • Conflat 4.5" (x4)​

    • Conflat 2.75" (x8)

    • Conflat 8" (partially obstructed)

    • KF flange 16 (x2)

    • KF flange 40 (x1)

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VESTA Chamber with attached mount for an electron-multiplying intensifier charge-coupled device (emICCD), capable of single photon detection.

Equipment

High-Speed Retarding Potential Analyzer (HSRPA)

​The ALPE HSRPA is a four-grid configuration RPA, with three electrostatically biased mesh grids and a floating grid. Its housing, mesh grids, retention rings, and wires are fabricated from 316 stainless steel, while alumina and MACOR are used as insulators between the grids and wires. The HSRPA is capable of producing time-resolved ion energy distribution functions within plumes of ion sources. This provides information on the evolving ion energy dynamics within a plasma plume. 

Electrical Confinement Coupling Cage (EC3)

EC3 is a plasma confinement cage used for electrical facility effects investigations. EC3 is capable of modifying the electrical boundary conditions within a vacuum chamber, while measuring current that terminates on three individual sections. Each of EC3 sections are instrumented with a wideband current sensor possessing a bandwidth of 10 MHz and the capability to be biased up to +/- 50 V. 

Capabilities

Under construction

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