To provide a hollow cathode for a spacecraft, facilitating starting (ignition) of discharge.
Members have distal ends opposed to a keeper electrode plate 6. The distal ends have a nanocarbon fine projection group structure, a fine projection (group) structure by a microfabrication technology or a composite structure with an electric conductor and an electric insulator located adjacently to each other, or are composed of carbon material with a nanocarbon structure spontaneously formed and maintained by action such as discharge or carbon material having excellent thermionic emission characteristics. The members are mounted downstream of an orifice plate 4 as discharge initiation promoting plates A31, B32, C33, D34, E35. Or, the orifice plate 4 itself is so formed that the distal end opposed to the keeper electrode plate 6 is made to have the fine projection (group) structure or the composite structure with the electric conductor and the electric insulator located adjacently to each other or which is composed of carbon material with the nanocarbon structure spontaneously formed by action such as discharge or carbon material having excellent thermionic emission characteristics.
HAYAKAWA YUKIO
YOSHIDA HIDEKI
MIYAZAKI KATSUHIRO
JP2000130316A | 2000-05-12 | |||
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Masuo Yamada