Hall Effect Thrusters
Hall Effect Thrusters (HETs) are a type of electric propulsion system that use magnetic and electric fields to ionize and accelerate propellant, producing thrust. HETs work by creating a plasma of ionized gas, which is accelerated by an electric field and expelled out of the thruster to generate thrust. The plasma is created by applying a magnetic field to the propellant, which ionizes the gas and creates a current. This current interacts with the magnetic field to produce a force that accelerates the plasma out of the thruster. HETs are highly efficient and can provide a high specific impulse, making them ideal for long-duration missions such as deep space exploration. However, they have a relatively low thrust-to-weight ratio, which limits their use for missions that require high acceleration.
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