Yohannes Mergia

Summer 2024

• Contributed to research on a novel magnetic reconnection thruster concept, which generates energetic thrust via plasmoids (confined plasma loops).
• Investigated use of permanent magnets to enhance efficiency and scalability compared to coil-driven systems.
• Designed and simulated thruster concepts using Simsopt (Python-based optimization) and COMSOL Multiphysics for electromagnetic/plasma analysis.
• Finalized design schematics in AutoCAD Fusion, integrating optimized magnet placement into an annular thruster channel.

Summer 2025

• Designed and characterized a compact magnetic reconnection thruster (~35 cm diameter), scaled from an earlier 60 cm prototype, for experimental validation.
• Replaced current-driven coils with a carefully optimized permanent magnet array, increasing durability and reducing system complexity.
• Applied Greedy Permanent Magnet Optimization (GPMO) and Relax-and-Split algorithms in Simsopt to optimize magnet orientation and placement.
• Coordinated with UW–Madison WiPPL and PPPL for experimental testing and field verification using two magnet types.
• Produced detailed magnetic field measurements to validate design and assess thruster performance.
• Work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

• Bruin Spacecraft Group at UCLA.
• Worked on the integration of an ion thruster into a CubeSat.
• Responsibilities primarily include electrical high-voltage power conversion and flow system implementation.
• Collaborating with a multidisciplinary team to ensure successful propulsion system integration.

• Basic Plasma Science Facility under the director Professor Troy Carter. A Novel Design for Antenna Impedance Measurement.
• Implemented a novel design for directly measuring the antenna's complex impedance in an electric dipole.
• This innovative approach facilitates highly accurate measurements, crucial for radiation efficiency evaluations when compared to the power coupled to waves in a plasma.
• Conducted a comparative analysis between the electric dipole antenna and an equivalent loop antenna with similar capabilities.
• Key responsibilities include:
• Constructing the electric dipole antenna.
• Calibrating the antenna for precision measurements.
• Comparing antenna characteristics to simulations and analytical solutions.
• Utilizing the antenna to excite plasma waves in the plasma generated by an RF source.