Numerical simulations of current collection for the electrodynamic tether in space

Numerical simulations have been carried out to determine the I-V characteristic of a long cylindrical body moving in a magnetized plasma. Results show that at relatively small body voltages, the collected current in the presence of magnetic field is insignificantly small compared with the situation without a magnetic field. However, when the body voltage increases, the current collection increases almost linearly, even in the magnetized plasma. The result is important in the sense that it is found to be true under the most restrictive condition for current collection, when the plasma particles are allowed to move only in a plane perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field. The result is also important for future power plants in space capable of supplying civilian and military systems, as these are likely to employ electrodynamics tethers for power generation.<
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