Plasma Generation at Atmospheric Pressure using a High Power Microwave Beam and its Application to Rocket Propulsion

Abstract

Experiments on microwave plasma generation and its application to microwave beamed energy propulsion were conducted using a 1MW-class, 170GHz gyrotron. The microwave beam was focused using a parabola reflector and plasma was initiated near the focal point in the ambient air. Plasma propagated upstream in the microwave beam channel while absorbing microwave. Its propagation velocity was supersonic when the microwave power density was larger than 75kW/cm2. The propulsive impulse was measured using a cone-cylinder shaped thruster model. As a result, maximum momentum coupling coefficient was obtained at a certain plasma propagation distance. In addition, large momentum coupling coefficient was obtained when plasma was propagated at a supersonic velocity. It would be because supersonic plasma propagation forms a strong shock wave, resulting in an efficient pressure increase.