Characterization of a Surface Wave Driven Plasma Monopole Antenna

Abstract

—This theoretical study examines the characteristics of a surface wave driven argon plasma monopole antenna with excitation power level up to 100 W and gas pressure of 0.4 mb using finite difference time domain method. Input impedance, radiation pattern, gain, efficiency and radar cross section of plasma antenna at different excitation power are presented here. The results show that variations of the excitation powers can be used for construction of a dynamically reconfigurable antenna. Since the plasma tube is one of the important factors which can affect the performance of the antenna, the input impedance and gain of plasma antenna was studied under different thicknesses and materials. The least thickness can cause a more efficient antenna while minimizing its bandwidth.