Hall effect thruster electrical configuration

A Hall thruster, comprising:

• a thruster body comprising a conductive housing and further comprising an annular discharge chamber having an inner wall, the inner wall having a rear surface with an inner wall aperture in the inner wall defined therein, said inner wall of said annular discharge chamber having a downstream end, a radially inner surface, and a radially outer surface, wherein said radially inner surface and said radially outer surface respectively radially inwardly and radially outwardly bound said annular discharge chamber;
• an anode/gas distributor having an anode electrical terminal, said anode/gas distributor situated in said inner wall aperture defined in said rear surface of said annular discharge chamber, said anode/gas distributor having at least one inlet configured to receive an ionizable gas and configured to distribute said ionizable gas for use as a propellant;
• a cathode neutralizer configured to provide electrons, said cathode neutralizer having a cathode electrical terminal that can be connected to said anode electrical terminal by way of a first power supply and a switch, said cathode neutralizer and said anode/gas distributor when operating generating an axial electrical field within said annular discharge chamber;
• and a magnetic circuit having a magnetic yoke, an inner magnetic coil and an outer magnetic coil, said magnetic circuit configured to be switchably powered, said magnetic circuit configured to provide a substantially radial magnetic field across an annular aperture of said annular discharge chamber, wherein the cathode electrical terminal is electrically connected to the thruster body by way of a first electrically conductive material, thereby electrically biasing the thruster body to an electrical potential level of the cathode electrical terminal, wherein the Hall thruster is a magnetic layer Hall thruster.