A Plasma Thruster Based on Screw-Pinch Physics

This research paper provides a conceptualization of a new type of plasma thruster based on screw-pinch physics and on the magnetic mirror concept. The article proposes a method to size a screw-pinch with a non-uniform axial magnetic field as a plasma thruster and to estimate its propulsive performance. The results obtained show that the plasma thruster is suitable for space missions inside the Earth’s sphere of influence and for space transportation of small satellites.