Apprenticeship 2017-2018: Brendan Stassel

This project proposal is to fund the construction of a radio frequency (RF) induced helicon wave plasma system to study the phenomenon of the current free electric double layer (DL) in an expanding plasma. Plasma DLs are known as scientifically relevant to the solar wind and ionospheric charged particle acceleration, but only recently have been used to create a supersonic ion beam (Charles, 2005). This beam is the basis for the Helicon Double Layer Thruster (HDLT), a prototype space propulsion system currently being developed by the Australian National University. The primary purpose of this plasma system is to study the DL but it can also be multi-purposed to study plasma physics relating to space weather.