Editing Ion thruster (section)

=== Electrodeless plasma thrusters ===
{{main|Electrodeless plasma thruster}}

[[Electrodeless plasma thruster]]s have two unique features: the removal of the anode and cathode electrodes and the ability to throttle the engine. The removal of the electrodes eliminates erosion, which limits lifetime on other ion engines. Neutral gas is first ionized by [[electromagnetic radiation|electromagnetic waves]] and then transferred to another chamber where it is accelerated by an oscillating electric and magnetic field, also known as the [[ponderomotive force]]. This separation of the ionization and acceleration stages allows throttling of propellant flow, which then changes the thrust magnitude and specific impulse values.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elwingcorp.com/files/IEPC05-article.pdf|title=Development of a High Power Electrodeless Thruster|access-date=2007-11-21|first=Gregory D.|last=Emsellem |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515145645/http://www.elwingcorp.com/files/IEPC05-article.pdf|archive-date=2008-05-15|url-status=dead}}</ref>