Plasma accelerator using hall currents

Claim 1

A PLASMA ACCELERATOR COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) TUBULAR CASING MEANS HAVING AN AXISYMMETRIC SUPERSONIC EXPANSION NOZZLE THEREIN EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY BETWEEN A SONIC ORIFICE INLET AND A NOZZLE OUTLET, THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID NOZZLE DEFINING A REFERENCE AXIS FOR THE ACCELERATOR; (B) AN ARC GAP DEVICE DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID SONIC ORIFICE INLET FOR AT LEAST PARTIALLY IONIZING A GAS STREAM AND INJECTING THE RESULTING GAS PLASMA AXIALLY INTO SAID SONIC ORIFICE INLET, SAID ARC GAP DEVICE INCLUDING A FIRST CATHODE ELECTRODE AND AN ANODE ELECTRODE BETWEEN WHICH A FIRST ELECTRIC DISCHARGE IS MAINTAINED TO PARTIALLY IONIZE SAID GAS STREAM; (C) MEANS FOR MAINTAINING AN AXISYMMETRIC SECOND ELECTRIC DISCHARGE EXTENDING AXIALLY THROUGH AND NOZZLE BETWEEN A SECOND CATHODE ELECTRODE DISPOSED AT THE NOZZLE OUTLET AND SAID ANODE ELECTRODE OF SAID ARC GAP DEVICE, WHEREBY A PLASMA JET DEFINING AN AXIAL CURRENT FLOW THROUGH SAID NOZZLE IS ESTABLISHED; (D) MEANS FOR ESTABLISHING A ROTATING FIRST MAGNETIC FIELD WITHIN A FIRST PREDETERMINED LONGITUDINAL PORTION OF SAID NOZZLE, SAID FIRST MAGNETIC FIELD ROTATING ABOUT SAID REFERENCE AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSELY THERETO; AND (E) MEANS FOR MAINTAINING A SECOND MAGNETIC FIELD WITHIN A SECOND PREDETERMINED LONGITUDINAL PORTION OF SAID NOZZLE, SAID SECOND MAGNETIC FIELD BEING AXISYMMETRIC WITH RESPECT TO SAID REFERENCE AXIS AND STRONGLY FRINGING SO THAT THE TOTAL RADIAL COMPONENTS OF THE MAGNETIC LINES OF FORCE OF SAID SECOND MAGNETIC FIELD GREATLY PREDOMINATE OVER THE AXIAL COMPONENTS OF THE MAGNETIC LINES OF FORCE OF SAID SECOND MAGNETIC FIELD AND CROSS THE CURRENT DENSITY LINES OF THE AXIAL CURRENT FLOW OF SAID PLASMA JET THROUGH SAID NOZZLE, THE FIELD STRENGTH OF SAID SECOND MAGNETIC FIELD BEING SUFFICIENTLY STRONG WITH RESPECT TO THE AMBIENT PRESSURE IN SAID NOZZLE SO THAT THE MAGNETIC FIELD INTERACTIONS PREDOMINATE OVER THE GAS DYNAMIC FORCES TO AXIALLY ACCELERATE SAID PLASMA JET THROUGH SAID NOZZLE.