• Mitchell Walker II
  • Assistant Professor

Contact Information

Office: Knight 419B<
Phone: 404.385.2757
Fax: 404.894.2760

Education

  • B.S.E., Aerospace Engineering, 1999, University of Michigan
  • M.S., Aerospace Engineering, 2000, University of Michigan
  • Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering, 2004, University of Michigan

Biography

Dr. Walker’s primary research interests lie in electric propulsion, plasma physics, and hypersonic aerodynamics/plasma interaction.  He has extensive design and testing experience with Hall thrusters and ion engines.  Dr. Walker performed seminal work in Hall thruster clustering and vacuum chamber facility effects.  His current research activities involve both theoretical and experimental work in advanced spacecraft propulsion systems, diagnostics, plasma physics, helicon plasma sources, magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters, and pulsed inductive thrusters.  He also teaches the undergraduate Jet & Rocket Propulsion course, as well as the graduate level Rocket Propulsion and Electric Propulsion courses.

Research

Electric propulsion and plasmadynamics, with applications in the following areas:
  • Development of experimental plasma diagnostics
  • Physics-based modeling of high-density plasma sources
  • Experimental characterization of rf plasma sources
  • Characterization and improvement of high thrust-to-power electrostatic accelerators
  • Electron field emission from carbon nanotubes for electric propulsion devices
  • Characterization and correction techniques for vacuum chamber facility effects

Honors and Distinctions

  • AFOSR Young Investigator Program Award, 2006
  • NASA Faculty Fellow, 2005
  • Class of 1969 Teaching Fellow, 2005

Selected Publications

  • Walker, M. L. R., Gallimore, A. D., "Hall Thruster Cluster Operation with a Shared Cathode," Journal of Propulsion and Power, Volume 23, Number 3, May 2007, pp. 528-536.
  • Yano, M., Walker, M. L. R., "Generalized Theory of Annularly-Bounded Helicon Waves," Physics of Plasmas, Volume 14, Number 3, March 2007, pp. 033510 1-7.
  • Walker, M. L. R., Gallimore, A. D., "Performance Characteristics of a Cluster of 5-kW Laboratory Hall Thrusters," Journal of Propulsion and Power, Volume 23, Number 1, January 2007, pp. 35-43.
  • Yano, M., Walker, M. L. R., "Plasma Ionization by Annularly-Bounded Helicon Waves," Physics of Plasmas, Volume 13, Number 6, June 2006, pp. 063501 1-5.
  • Walker, M. L. R., Hofer, R. R., Gallimore, A. D., "Ion Collection in Hall Thruster Plumes," Journal of Propulsion and Power, Volume 22, Number 1, Jan.-Feb. 2006, pp. 205-209.