Cutaway: hardware, solved ion-density field, fluid-derived ion pathlines, and radial-B profile visualization.
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Nested-channel configuration
Each active annular channel is solved independently with the browser reduced-order model, then currents, thrust and power are combined. Shared-cathode coupling, neutral ingestion, magnetic coupling and plume interaction are not solved.
Channelrᵢ mmrₒ mmL mmṁ mg/sBᵣ mTInnerMiddleOuter
Total mass flow and characteristic B/L are derived from active-channel settings for Trade Study and Find Design.
Set the thruster and test conditions on the left, then select Run Simulation. Changing an input marks the existing results out of date; nothing recomputes silently.
Axial profiles
Run Simulation to generate profiles.
Reduced-order discharge-current oscillation proxy
Run Simulation to generate the oscillation proxy.
Model credibility & reference checks
Run Simulation.
Design studies
Use the current configuration as the baseline for design exploration.
Trade Study compares one variable across cases. Find Design searches several variables against targets and constraints. Neither changes the baseline configuration.
Trade study
Each point is a separate simulation case. Click a completed point or table row to inspect it. Inspection never changes the baseline configuration.
No trade study yet.
Case
Sweep
Current [A]
RMS [A]
Exit speed [km/s]
Exit nᵢ [m⁻³]
Peak E [kV/m]
Thrust [mN]
Isp [s]
ηa [%]
Spacecraft a [mm/s²]
Find a design
Search several parameters simultaneously for a requested performance target. The search uses the same reduced-order browser model as the simulation and trade study. Results are design hypotheses, not engineering predictions, until a validated solver backend is connected.
Variables allowed to change · unchecked quantities remain at the current configuration.
Constraints
No design search yet.
Best candidate ion behavior
Rank
Target
Error [%]
Target met?
V [V]
Mass flow [mg/s]
Bᵣ [mT]
vn [m/s]
L [mm]
Current [A]
Power [W]
Thrust [mN]
Isp [s]
ηa [%]
Spacecraft a [mm/s²]
Technology requirements
Start from a spacecraft target and determine what propulsion capabilities must exist.
Requirements mode forces the requested spacecraft capability. Conservation-law requirements are computed directly; unsupported materials/plasma quantities remain explicitly unresolved.
Technology requirements
Force a spacecraft-level performance target and solve backward for the momentum, ion, electrical, thermal, area, and system capabilities that must exist. Quantities following directly from conservation laws are calculated explicitly. Magnetic topology, plasma stability, wall erosion, and material lifetime are not invented; they are flagged as solver-dependent.
Ion / discharge assumptions
Thermal assumptions
The 200 W/kg default is a comparison reference for solar-array mass only, not a full propulsion power-system limit. Change it for another architecture. Radiator area is calculated from blackbody radiation at the selected temperature and emissivity.
No requirements calculation yet.
Required ion behavior
Technology gap / architecture
Capability
Required
Reference / assumption
Gap or status
Interpretation
Materials and unresolved physics
Item
Status
What the backsolve can say now
Reference anchors used for comparison: X3 demonstrated 5.4 N at 102 kW and 247 A, with 1800–2650 s Isp and 54–67% total efficiency; University of Michigan describes the X3 as about 227 kg. H9 ultrahigh-current-density operation reached 65 N/m² by thruster area (122 N/m² by channel area) with water cooling. A published Hall-thruster analysis gives 314 N/m² for a conservative transport scaling at 300 G and 1796 N/m² for a constant-anomalous-collision model; these are theoretical references, not demonstrated operating limits. Magnetic shielding has demonstrated major erosion reduction and enabled graphite conducting walls on the H6 without major performance loss.