GENERATION OF LARGE-AREA, SHEET PLASMA MIRRORS FOR REDIRECTING HIGH-FREQUENCY MICROWAVE BEAMS

Large area, planar, sheet plasma mirrors have been generated with elec tron densities high enough to reflect X-band microwave beams. The 50 c m x 60 cm negative glow plasmas operate in air and other gases at simi lar to 100 mTorr. These plasmas are immersed in an axial magnetic fiel d of moderate strength (150-250 G). and they may be capable of being r apidly steered. The cathode which generates these sheet plasmas operat es in a mode that appears to be distinctly different from the abnormal glow and hollow cathode modes.