Plasmas as antennas: Theory, experiment and applications

In certain applications, the surface wave driven plasma column can replace metal as the guiding medium in radio frequency antennas. Such plasma antenn as offer the possibility of low radar detectability and negligible mutual c oupling when de-energized. Experimental results are presented confirming th at the two most important physical issues, namely antenna efficiency and no ise, are not compromised by the use of a plasma. It is also shown that the relatively high efficiency of the surface wave driven plasma column can be predicted by a simple calculation. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S1070-664X(00)92505-9].