Electron Trajectories in a Hall Effect Thruster Anomalous Transport Induced by an Azimuthal Wave

Hall effect thrusters (HETs) are one of the developed electric devices for space propulsion since the late 1960s. Great technological and scientific advances in this domain have been achieved. Nevertheless, the physics involved is not completely mastered. One of the unknowns is the cross-field electron mobility in the E $\times$B thruster configuration: Classical electron mobility is not sufficient to explain thruster general performance. One of the most convincing theories is the presence of an azimuthal turbulence that is responsible for the so-called “anomalous transport.” The aim of this paper is to shed light on the “anomalous transport” through a study of electron trajectories in a HET.