Abstract
In the upper atmosphere, microwaves of a power density on the order of a few tens of a kW/cm2, depending on altitude, produce ionization phenomena that radically modify wave propagation. The ionization gives rise to a space-time-dependent plasma that attenuates the tail of the pulse but does not affect the leading edge because of the finite time for plasma to build up. This phenomenon has been studied both experimentally and theoretically. The microwave pulse is generated by a single magnetron tube driven by a soft tube modulator, producing 1-MW peak output power at 3.59 to 3.7 GHz. Both air and argon gas are used to fill the chamber, and a different degree of tail erosion is observed: air allows a wider pulse to propagate than the argon gas. A theoretical model describing the effect of induced plasma on microwave pulse propagation has also been developed.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages | 33 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| State | Published - 1988 |
| Event | IEEE International Conference on Plasma Science - 1988 - Seattle, WA, USA Duration: Jun 6 1988 → Jun 8 1988 |
Other
| Other | IEEE International Conference on Plasma Science - 1988 |
|---|---|
| City | Seattle, WA, USA |
| Period | 6/6/88 → 6/8/88 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Engineering