ARCTRON: A New Experimental Apparatus for Studying Reentry Plasmas and Plasma Jet Stability

ARCTRON is a new platform for studying plasma-material interactions and flow physics relevant to spacecraft reentry. The ARCTRON system integrates multiple complementary heating approaches: a 2 kW inductively coupled plasma (ICP) torch in parallel with an arcjet, and a 2 kW blue laser for radiative heating. These are supplemented by graphite heating elements to extend temperature control up to 1000 °C. A set of water-cooled magnetic field coils provides up to 0.1 T for experiments involving magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effects, while a sting arm with 2 axes of motion allows precise sample and diagnostic positioning within the flow. ARCTRON will be able to operate with Argon, air, CO₂, O₂, N₂, and He, supporting both inert and reactive plasma environments.

A comprehensive diagnostic suite supports simultaneous plasma and material measurements: Argon LIF for flow velocity/temperature, LAS for atomic oxygen, a Shamrock 500i spectrograph, pyrometer, and cameras. In-situ diagnostics include a swept Langmuir probe, calorimeter, and embedded thermocouples.

Initial studies will target five areas: surface catalycity at high temperature, multi physics model validation, electrode erosion, magnetic shielding and flow control, and MHD arc stability.

By integrating multi modal heating, magnetic fields, and high resolution diagnostics, ARCTRON provides a unique laboratory platform to study key aspects of reentry plasmas and ground test facility technology.