Cylindrical Plasma Antenna with Large Longitudinal Density Irregularity

Abstract

The efficiency of operation of a cylindrical plasma antenna as a function of the degree of longitudinal nonuniformity of the plasma density is examined. The study is based on the method of spectral field expansion into a complete set of functions comprising surface and pseudosurface waves of the plasma column. The system of integrodifferential equations for expansion coefficients determining radiation patterns and the amplitudes of transmitted, reflected, and scattered waves is solved in the case of rapid variation in the plasma density. Dependences of the coefficients of conversion of the surface-wave energy on the plasma-density gradient, the electric length of the section of plasma nonuniformity, and the electric radius of the plasma cylinder are calculated. It is demonstrated by examples that the portion of energy of the surface wave converted into radiation may exceed 50%. It has been found that the radiation patterns are narrow with a single lobe whose maximum is at an angle of several degrees to the direction of propagation of the surface wave. As the plasma-density gradient increases, the lobe width decreases and the lobe itself shifts toward 0°.