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US 2003/0193436 A1Published application
Confined plasma resonance antenna and plasma resonance antenna array
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorTheodore R. Anderson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A plasma antenna includes a plasma column formed of an ionizable gas. A modulating carrier frequency produces Hertzian dipoles within the plasma that radiate RF energy at the modulating carrier. The antenna produces can be short and still produce significant gain when the modulating carrier frequency and the natural resonance frequency of the plasma are substantially equal.
Claims15
An antenna for radiating rf energy comprising:
- a confined plasma column extending along an axis and characterized by a natural resonance frequency;
- and
- a modulator for applying an ac field to said confined plasma column at a frequency corresponding to the natural resonance frequency thereby the ac field causes the plasma to radiate RF energy at the frequency of the applied ac field.
An antenna array comprising:
- a first plasma antenna comprising a first confined plasma column extending along a first axis and characterized by a first natural resonance frequency and a modulator for applying an ac field to said confined plasma column at a frequency corresponding to the first natural resonance frequency thereby to cause the plasma to radiate RF energy at the frequency of the ac field applied by the second modulator;
- a second plasma antenna comprising a second confined plasma column extending along a second axis and characterized by a second natural resonance frequency that is different from the first natural resonance frequency and a modulator for applying an ac field to said second confined plasma column at a frequency corresponding to the second natural resonance frequency thereby to cause the plasma to radiate RF energy at the frequency of the ac field applied by the second modulator;
- and
- means for mounting said first and second antennas in an array, said first and second natural frequencies being different whereby the antenna having the greater natural resonance frequency is unaffected by radiation from the other antenna.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.