The invention, which relates to a miniaturizable plasma thruster, consists of: igniting the plasma by microhollow cathode discharge close to the outlet and inside the means for injecting the propellant gas, said injection means being magnetic and comprising a tip at the downstream end thereof; bringing the electrons of the magnetized plasma into gyromagnetic rotation, at the outlet end of said injection means; sustaining the plasma by means of Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR), said injection means being metal and being used as an antenna for electromagnetic (EM) emission, the volume of ECR plasma at the outlet of said injection means being used as a resonant cavity of the EM wave; accelerating the plasma in a magnetic nozzle by diamagnetic force, the ejected plasma being electrically neutral.

The invention, which relates to a miniaturizable plasma thruster, consists of: igniting the plasma by microhollow cathode discharge close to the outlet and inside the means for injecting the propellant gas, said injection means being magnetic and comprising a tip at the downstream end thereof; bringing the electrons of the magnetized plasma into gyromagnetic rotation, at the outlet end of said injection means; sustaining the plasma by means of Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR), said injection means being metal and being used as an antenna for electromagnetic (EM) emission, the volume of ECR plasma at the outlet of said injection means being used as a resonant cavity of the EM wave; accelerating the plasma in a magnetic nozzle by diamagnetic force, the ejected plasma being electrically neutral.

A disturbance magnetic field region provided in an outer peripheral portion of a main magnetic field region of an accelerator has a peeler region in which a strength of a magnetic field decreases toward an outside, a regenerator region in which the strength of the magnetic field increases toward the outside, and a substantially flat region in which the strength of the magnetic field is larger than the strength of the magnetic field of the peeler region and smaller than the strength of the magnetic field of the regenerator region.

A disturbance magnetic field region provided in an outer peripheral portion of a main magnetic field region of an accelerator has a peeler region in which a strength of a magnetic field decreases toward an outside, a regenerator region in which the strength of the magnetic field increases toward the outside, and a substantially flat region in which the strength of the magnetic field is larger than the strength of the magnetic field of the peeler region and smaller than the strength of the magnetic field of the regenerator region.

An electron cyclotron resonance ion generator device includes a metal tube subjected to a first potential and pierced by a first cavity forming a plasma chamber intended to contain a plasma; a second cavity forming a waveguide configured to inject a high frequency wave into the plasma chamber, an extraction system including an upstream end connected to the plasma chamber and a downstream end configured to be connected to an ion transport line, the connecting flange being subjected to a second potential, a magnetic field generator, and a ceramic tube in contact with the metal tube, the ceramic tube surrounding the metal tube and at least a part of the extraction system.

An electron cyclotron resonance ion generator device includes a metal tube subjected to a first potential and pierced by a first cavity forming a plasma chamber intended to contain a plasma; a second cavity forming a waveguide configured to inject a high frequency wave into the plasma chamber, an extraction system including an upstream end connected to the plasma chamber and a downstream end configured to be connected to an ion transport line, the connecting flange being subjected to a second potential, a magnetic field generator, and a ceramic tube in contact with the metal tube, the ceramic tube surrounding the metal tube and at least a part of the extraction system.