Simulating hypersonic atmospheric conditions in a laboratory setting using a 15-cm-diameter helicon source

Hypersonic atmospheric plasmas are difficult to simulate in a laboratory setting because they are high density (∼10
¹⁵
– 10
²⁰
m
⁻³
depending on altitude) and low temperature (∼2 – 5 eV)
¹²
. Helicon sources are capable of creating plasma with these requirements
³
. A 15-cm-diamter helicon source has been designed, fabricated and tested at the University of Michigan Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory (PEPL). We operate the helicon at varying input powers, axial magnetic fields, and chamber pressures in order to replicate reentry conditions. We present Langmuir probe data from helicon source operation with argon and residual gas analyzer (RGA) data from helicon source operation with argon, nitrogen and air.