Experimental and zero-dimensional simulation study of an embedded bismuth LaB6 hollow cathode

Experiments and zero-dimensional simulation were conducted to evaluate the discharge performance of an embedded bismuth LaB₆ hollow cathode. The experimental results demonstrate that the embedded bismuth hollow cathode can operate in diode mode without any external heating, with a mass flow rate of approximately 0.21 mg/s. In Keeper-cathode mode, the discharge voltage for bismuth was slightly lower than that of xenon and exhibited strong stability, with a maximum discharge variation of less than 0.5 V at a discharge current of 2 A. The simulation results showed that at the same mass flow rate, the electron and ion densities in the insert region of the bismuth hollow cathode were higher than those of xenon, whereas the opposite was true for the orifice region. Notably, at discharge currents below 4 A, the power deposition of bismuth in both the insert and orifice regions was lower than that of xenon, indicating reduced erosion.