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US 7,068,226 B1Granted
Pulsed plasma antenna
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
InventorAtindra K. Mitra
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and device of energizing a plasma antenna using power from the discharge of an electopropulsion engine and comprising a propellant and feed system, a capacitor charging power processing unit and an energy storage capacitor, wherein said energy is released over an electrode gap and resultant ablation products are ionized and accelerated by an electromagnetic force, thereby producing a pulse.
Claims12
A method of energizing a plasma antenna using power from the discharge of an electropropulsion engine comprising the steps of:
- providing a solid bar of polytetrafluoroethene;
- contacting an electrode with said solid bar of polytetrafluoroethene;
- charging a capacitor using a power processing unit;
- firing a spark ignitor to create an initial conducting path for a primary discharge;
- discharging electromagnetic particles initiated by pulse forming circuitry;
- releasing energy from said capacitor across said electrode gap;
- ablating several layers of said polytetrafluoroethene bar, said ablation products ionizing and accelerating by an electromagnetic Lorenz force, thereby generating a pulse.
4 more elements
A plasma antenna system comprising:
- a propellant and feed system;
- a capacitor charging power processing unit;
- an energy storage capacitor, wherein said energy is released over an electrode gap and resultant ablation products are ionized and accelerated by an electromagnetic force, thereby producing a pulse.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.