Home

Search

Collections

Journals

About

Contact us

My IOPscience

Theoretical and experimental investigation of plasma antenna characteristics on the basis of

gaseous collisionality and electron density

This content has been downloaded from IOPscience. Please scroll down to see the full text.
2015 Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 54 016001
(http://iopscience.iop.org/1347-4065/54/1/016001)
View the table of contents for this issue, or go to the journal homepage for more

Download details:
IP Address: 136.186.88.139
This content was downloaded on 12/03/2015 at 02:53

Please note that terms and conditions apply.

REGULAR PAPER

Japanese Journal of Applied Physics 54, 016001 (2015)

http://dx.doi.org/10.7567/JJAP.54.016001

Theoretical and experimental investigation of plasma antenna characteristics

on the basis of gaseous collisionality and electron density
Teruki Naito1*, Shingo Yamaura2, Kazuo Yamamoto1, Tai Tanaka2, Hidetoshi Chiba2,
Hayato Ogino3, Kazuhiro Takahagi4, Shinya Kitagawa4, and Daiki Taniguchi4
1

Advanced Technology R&D Center, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Amagasaki, Hyogo 661-8661, Japan
Information Technology R&D Center, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Kamakura, Kanagawa 247-8501, Japan
3
Communication System Center, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Amagasaki, Hyogo 661-8661, Japan
4
Electronic Systems Research Center, Ministry of Defense, Setagaya, Tokyo 154-8511, Japan
E-mail: naito.teruki@bc.mitsubishielectric.co.jp
2

Received July 16, 2014; revised October 28, 2014; accepted November 4, 2014; published online December 17, 2014
This paper reports plasma antenna characteristics investigated theoretically and experimentally, on the basis of the plasma parameters: gaseous
collisionality and electron density. The antenna structure is a basic quarter-wavelength monopole antenna in the UHF band. The dependence of
the antenna gain on the plasma parameters is obtained by analytical equations from plasma and antenna theory, and by numerical simulations. In
the plasma antenna, the ratio of the electron elastic collision frequency to the total number of electrons at the plasma cross section determines the
antennas internal loss and the electrical equivalent antenna length, whereas the ratio of the radio wave frequency to the total number of electrons
at the plasma cross section determines the antennas resonant frequency. These results are conrmed by experimental results of the antennas
impedance and radiation patterns. 2015 The Japan Society of Applied Physics

1.

Introduction

A plasma antenna is a RF antenna partially composed of

plasma instead of metals or dielectrics. There are several types
of antenna structures such as pole,13) loop,47) reection,8) and
plane.9) In most cases, the plasma antenna is composed of a
dielectric tube lled with low-pressure gases, and plasma
is generated by electric power fed at the end of the tube.
The concept of wireless communication using plasma is not
new,10,11) but it had not been investigated intensively for a long
time because of its technical difculties and few social needs.
Recently, the plasma antenna has been attracting more
attention as a new type antenna because of the following
unique characteristics, which conventional metallic antennas
do not have. First, interference between the antenna and
ambient radio waves can be signicantly reduced by simply
switching off the electric power applied to the plasma,
because the ionized gas returns to its neutral state, which is
transparent to radio waves. It is possible to install several
antennas closely without considering interference between
the antennas. Second, the antennas geometric reconguration can be easily realized by changing power feeding
patterns to plasma antenna arrays.12) The radio wave beam is
electrically steered simply by changing the discharge patterns
of the plasma antenna arrays. These characteristics of plasma
antennas are not only useful in themselves, but also have
high afnity with future intelligent radio systems, such as
cognitive radio and smart antennas.13,14)
The characteristics of plasma antennas have been reported
theoretically and experimentally by several groups.18,11,12)
Practical wireless communication using plasma antenna has
been demonstrated. However, the focus of those studies was
primarily the antenna characteristics of plasma antennas,
and plasma tended to be treated merely as a perfect or lossy
conductive material.
As is well known, plasma is a dispersive medium.15,16) The
complex dielectric function of plasma strongly depends on a
radio wave frequency and plasma parameters such as the
electron density ne and the electron elastic collision frequency
m. For collisionless plasma, the plasma acts as a metal if is

lower than the electron plasma frequency pe , which is

determined by ne , whereas the plasma acts as a dielectric if
is higher than pe .
Therefore, it is likely that the antenna characteristics also
depend on the plasma parameters, and it is important to
comprehend the relationship between the antenna characteristics and the plasma parameters for practical antenna design
and application.
In this work, the dependence of antenna characteristics on
the plasma parameters is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The antenna structure is a basic quarter-wavelength
cylindrical monopole in the UHF band. The antenna gain is
obtained by analytical equations and numerical simulations.
The antenna impedance and the radiation patterns were measured in experiments, and compared with the theoretical results.
2.

Theoretical analysis

2.1

Method
The dependence of the antenna gain on the plasma parameters is investigated analytically and numerically. In this work,
the following approximations for plasma are accepted. First,
the thermal motion of ions can be ignored (cold plasma
approximation). Next, plasma can be treated as uids (a uid
model). Third, the electron density and the spatial distribution are temporally constant. Finally, the amplitude of the
electron oscillation is negligible compared with the spatial
cell step of the numerical calculation.
The cold plasma approximation and the uid model are
accepted widely in analyses of weakly ionized plasma such
as the glow discharge in a uorescent lamp or vacuum
chamber. The third approximation means that the electron
density and the spatial distribution are not disturbed by the
radio wave. This approximation is accepted if the electric
eld intensity of the radio wave is small enough that it does
not ionize neutral molecules and that the ponderomotive
force can be ignored. In this study, it might be enough that the
electric eld intensity is smaller than 103 V/m because the
ponderomotive force is sufciently smaller than the plasma
pressure gradient force,17) and the ionization coefcient is
quite low at the low reduced electric eld.18) The nal

016001-1

2015 The Japan Society of Applied Physics

Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 54, 016001 (2015)

T. Naito et al.

approximation is requested from the validity of the numerical

calculation. The amplitude of the electron oscillation is on the
order of a few microns with the electric eld intensity in the
UHF band. Thus, the numerical spatial cell step should be
larger than the amplitude.
First, the equation of the antenna gain is developed
analytically according to basic equations of plasma and
antenna theory. The plasma conductivity p is expressed by15)

275 mm

Plasma

Delta gap
source

Ground plate

where e is the electron charge, me is the electron mass, and

j is the imaginary unit. ne is a function of the plasma radius r.
Then, the impedance of a cylindrical plasma antenna Zp
(= Rp + jXp) can be written as

Z R
lme
2r
p r dr 2 m j!;
Zp Rp jXp l
e
Ne
0
2
where l is the plasma length, R is the radius of the plasma,
and Ne is the total number of electrons at the plasma cross
section,
ZR
Ne
2rne r dr:
3

500 mm

500 mm

Fig. 1. (Color online) Schematic diagram of the plasma antenna model

used in the FDTD simulation.

Assuming that the plasma antenna is matched externally to

the radio wave feed line, the antenna gain G is written in the
following analytical form,


Rr
lme m 1
G D0
D0 1 2
;
4
Rr Rp
e Rr Ne
where D0 and Rr are the directivity and the radiation
resistance of the plasma antenna, respectively.19) As is clear
from the above equation, the antenna gain depends not on ,
but only on m/Ne.
Next, the numerical method is explained. The antenna gain
and the radiation pattern of the plasma antenna are calculated
using a Finite difference time domain (FDTD) method.20) The
plasma is embedded in the FDTD simulation by Youngs
direct integration (DI) method in which the electron motion
equation is calculated in the similar manner as Maxwells
equations.21)
The simulation model is shown in Fig. 1. Because of the
azimuthal symmetry of the monopole structure, Maxwells
equations are calculated in the half area of the antenna cross
section. The simulation model is discretized according to Yees
algorithm for cylindrical coordinates.22) There is a singularity
at r = 0 in the evolution of Ez arising from the cylindrical
coordinates. The singularity is avoided using the integral form
of Amperes circuital law.23) In order to analyze open structures
and to account for radiation, two absorbing boundary conditions are used to truncate the mesh at its boundary: Murs
secondary absorbing boundary condition and the modied dispersive boundary condition.24,25) The far-eld radiation pattern
is obtained by the near-zone to far-zone transformation.26) The
antenna gain is calculated from the ratio of the far-eld
radiation intensity at a given direction to the input real power.
The simulation model was composed of a ground plate and
a dielectric tube lled with plasma. The length and the outer
diameter of the dielectric tube were 275 and 26 mm, respectively. The dielectric thickness was 2 mm. The relative

1000 mm

Dielectric tube
(Quartz)

2.5 mm

e2 ne r
;
me m j!

Analyzed area

Antenna maximum gain (dBi)

p r

-10
-20

-30
Eq. (4) FDTD

dc = 45 S/m
dc = 4.5 S/m
dc = 0.45 S/m

-40
-50

108

109

1010

1011

1012

1013

1014

1015

Electron density (cm-3)

Fig. 2. (Color online) Dependence of the antenna maximum gain on the

electron density ne.

permittivity of the dielectric was 3.77, assuming a quartz

dielectric. The diameter of the ground plate was 500 mm, and
the thickness was 2 mm. There was a 2 mm gap between
the dielectric tube and the ground plate, and a 300 MHz
sinusoidal voltage with an amplitude of 1 V was applied to
the gap by delta-gap feeding. There was a 25-mm-long probe
at the bottom of the dielectric tube in order to guide the
radio wave into the plasma. According to the courant stability
condition and the stability criteria of Youngs DI method, the
temporal and spatial cell steps were determined as follows:
r = 1 mm, z = 2 mm, and t = 2 ps.
2.2 Results and discussion
2.2.1 Dependence on the plasma parameters The an-

tenna gain was calculated for each ne and m . In this calculation, the electron radial distribution was assumed to be a
function of the usual zero-order Bessel function J0 , which is
the typical electron distribution in a positive column.27) The
equation of the electron distribution is
ne r ne0 J0 2:4r=R;

where ne0 is the electron density at r = 0.

Figure 2 shows the antenna maximum gain as a function of
ne0 at r = 0, where the plasma DC conductivity dc was xed.

016001-2

2015 The Japan Society of Applied Physics

Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 54, 016001 (2015)

T. Naito et al.

100

Z axis (cm)

Z axis (cm)

95

Plasma
antenna

90

85

80

Ground
plate

75
0 2 4 6 8 10

105

105

100

100

95

95

Z axis (cm)

105

90

Ez (V/m)

90

85

85

80

80

75

75
0 2 4 6 8 10

0 2 4 6 8 10

r axis (cm)

r axis (cm)

r axis (cm)

(a)

(b)

(c)

10.0
9.0
8.0
7.0
6.0
5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
-1.0
-2.0
-3.0
-4.0
-5.0
-6.0
-7.0
-8.0
-9.0
-10.0

Fig. 3. (Color online) Axial electric eld Ez near the plasma antenna. (a), (b), and (c) correspond to conditions A, B, and C shown in Fig. 2 and Table I.

The antenna maximum gain was dened as the antenna gain

in the direction of maximum radiation, and it did not take
into account reection losses at the antenna input terminal.
The plasma DC conductivity dc is equal to Eq. (1) at r = 0
and = 0. When ne0 = 1.0 1012 cm3 and m/2 =
1 GHz, dc = 4.5 S/m. In Fig. 2, each dashed line shows an
analytical antenna gain obtained by Eq. (4), and each solid
line with markers shows a numerical antenna gain obtained
by the FDTD simulation. The dot-dash lines are equi-m
contours, which might be obtained in experiments under
constant gas pressure. In the calculations of the analytical
antenna gain, the following values of D0 and Rr were
assigned: D0 = 1.681 dB and Rr = 80.8 . These values were
obtained by the FDTD simulation for a metallic antenna with
the same shape as the plasma antenna in Fig. 1.
As expected from Eq. (4), the analytical antenna gain was
constant if dc was constant, regardless of ne0 . On the other
hand, the numerical antenna gain depended on ne0 , and there
appeared two different tendencies of the dependence on ne0
according to the value. When ne0 was more than 1012 cm3,
the numerical antenna gain depended not on ne0 , but only on
dc . The difference between the analytical and the numerical
antenna gain increased with decreasing dc . On the other
hand, the numerical antenna gain depended mainly on ne0
when ne0 was lower than 1012 cm3. The numerical antenna
gain decreased in proportion to ne0 , regardless of dc .
Figure 3 shows the axial electric eld Ez near the plasma
antenna under the conditions A, B, and C marked in Fig. 2.
The plasma parameters of each condition are shown in
Table I. ne is the same in conditions A and B, whereas dc is
the same in conditions A and C.
In condition A, where the numerical antenna gain almost
coincided with the analytical antenna gain, the uniform electric eld was distributed across the plasma antenna similarly
to a quarter-wave metallic monopole antenna. Conversely,
the electric eld was inhomogeneous across the plasma
antenna in conditions B and C. In condition B, the electric
eld did not spread over the whole plasma antenna and
remained around the antenna input terminal. The wavelength
of the radio wave was electrically shortened on the plasma
antenna in condition C.

Table I. Plasma parameters in conditions A, B, and C shown in Fig. 2.

ne
(cm3)

m
(GHz)

dc
(S/m)

1 1013

45

1 1013

100

0.45

1 1010

0.001

45

As shown in Fig. 3(b), the apparent antenna length became

shorter in condition B than that in condition A. The apparent
antenna length was roughly 165 mm, with which the applied
voltage to the antenna input terminal dropped by 97%.
The radiation resistance and the directivity of a metallic
antenna with an antenna length of 165 mm were 5.8 ,
and 1.58 dBi, respectively. With these antenna parameters
applied to Eq. (4), the analytical antenna gain was calculated
to be 25.7 dBi in condition B. This analytical antenna
gain coincides well with the numerical antenna gain in
condition B, so that the numerical antenna gain decreased
because of the decrease in the apparent or electrical equivalent antenna length. The decrease in the electrical equivalent
antenna length might be caused by the increase of the plasma
resistance Rp because the current distribution length decreases with the internal resistance of the antenna.28)
According to Fig. 3(c), the electrical resonant frequency of
the plasma antenna became lower in condition C. In general,
the antennas resonant frequency drops by inserting a loading
coil in series between the antenna and its feed line.29) The
plasma reactance Xp increases with decreasing ne from
Eq. (2). Accordingly, it is probable that the plasma might
act as a loading coil and cause the electrical shortening of
the plasma antenna. Figure 4 shows the axial electric eld Ez
and the radiation pattern of the plasma antenna at /2 =
60 MHz with the same plasma parameters as those in
condition C. The wavelength of the radio wave coincided
with the antenna length, and the plasma antenna was resonant
at 60 MHz. The antenna gain was still lower than the analytical gain because the antennas effective length was much
shorter than the wavelength of the radio wave in free space.

016001-3

2015 The Japan Society of Applied Physics

Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 54, 016001 (2015)

T. Naito et al.

10

10

Ez (V/m)

105

10
100

Plasma

-10

4
2

90

0
85

-20

Antenna gain (dBi)

z (mm)

Antenna gain (dBi)

95

-2
-4

Ground
plate

80

-6

75

-8
0 2 4 6 8 10
r (mm)

-30

-10

/2 = 60 MHz
/2 = 300 MHz

-40

-10
-20

Analytical gain
eq. (5)
eq. (6)
eq. (7)
eq. (8)

-30
-40

-50

-50
0

15

30
45
60
Azimuth angle (deg)

75

90

Fig. 4. (Color online) Radiation patterns at /2 = 60 and 300 MHz

when the plasma parameters were same as in condition C shown in Table I.
The inset gure shows the axial electric eld Ez near the plasma antenna at
/2 = 60 MHz.

15

30
45
60
Elevation angle (deg)

75

90

Fig. 6. (Color online) Dependence of the antenna radiation patterns on the

electron spatial distribution.

Plasma antenna
5E+18

Discharge tube

Electron density (cm-3)

4E+18

Plasma

eq. (5)
eq. (6)
eq. (7)
eq. (8)

4E+18
3E+18

Ground plate

3E+18
2E+18

High-pass filter

2E+18

Low-pass filter

1E+18

Matching
elements

5E+17
0E+00
0

6
8
r axis (mm)

10

12

RF signal source
DC power supply

Fig. 5. (Color online) Electron spatial distribution used in the simulations.

Fig. 7. (Color online) Schematic diagram of the experimental setup.

2.2.2

Dependence on the electron spatial distribution

The dependence of the antenna gain on the electron spatial
distribution ne(r) was investigated. In addition to the electron
distribution expressed by Eq. (5), the following three types of
electron distributions were considered:30)

ne r ne0 1:0 0:0122r=R  2:214r=R2 1:208r=R3 ;

6
ne r ne0 e

r=0:3R2

;
10

ne r ne0 1:0  r=R ;

These electron distributions are typical for a mercury-noblegas discharge, high-pressure discharge, and electronegative
plasma, respectively.
Figure 5 shows each electron distribution. According
to Eq. (4), the antenna gain depends on the total number of
electrons at the plasma cross section Ne. For this reason, the
value of ne0 in each electron distribution was determined so
that Ne might be same in all cases. For example, ne0 was set at
1.0 1012 cm3 for Eq. (5). m/2 was xed at 1.0 GHz.
The radiation pattern for each electron distribution is
shown in Fig. 6. The radiation pattern shows little dependence on the electron distribution. This might be because
the plasma skin depth of the radio wave and the wavelength
of the radio wave are larger than the antenna radius. In the
plasma antenna, all electrons across the cross-sectional area

of the plasma are subject to a uniform electric eld as shown

in Fig. 3. Consequently, if Ne is constant, the same electric
current is induced in the plasma antenna, and the radiation
pattern becomes independent of the electron distribution or
the antennas outer shape. This result is different from the
case of a metallic antenna where the skin depth of the radio
wave is a few microns and only electrons at the antenna
surface contribute to the radiation. It should be noted that the
electron distribution must be taken into consideration when
the plasma radius is not negligible with respect to the plasma
skin depth or the wavelength of the radio wave.
3.

Experimental verication

3.1

Experimental setup
The experimental setup is shown in Fig. 7. Two plasma
antennas were prepared. The plasma antennas were -shaped
quartz tubes lled with argon and small amount of mercury.
The argon pressure was 267 Pa in one tube and 1333 Pa in
the other. The pressure of the mercury was a few Pa as
determined by the temperature of the tube walls, which
was around 20 C. There was a pair of cylindrical nickel
electrodes at each end of the tubes. The diameter and the
length of the electrodes were 15 and 25 mm, respectively. The
length between the edge and the folded point of the tubes was
275 mm. The outer diameter of the tubes was 19 mm with a
1 mm thickness.

016001-4

2015 The Japan Society of Applied Physics

Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 54, 016001 (2015)

T. Naito et al.

where lp is the length of the positive column, Ip is the electric

current owing through the positive column, and Vp is the
voltage applied to the positive column. In Eq. (9), the electron distribution of Eq. (6) was assumed. Ip was measured
with a shunt resistor of 100 . Vp was obtained by subtracting
the cathode fall voltage from the applied voltage between
electrodes.
The cathode fall voltage was measured by a method using
a capacitive-type probe.31) The capacitive-type probe was
a copper ring with a length of 10 mm, and wound around
the tube 10 mm away from the top of the electrode. Two
series ceramic capacitors of 10 pF were connected between
the copper ring and the ground terminal of the DC power
supply. The voltage at the midpoint of the capacitors was
measured by an oscilloscope (Tektronix DPO4104). When
the DC power supply was turned off, a voltage proportional
to the plasma potential was induced at the midpoint. The
cathode fall voltage was obtained by comparing the amplitude of the induced voltages at a cathode and an anode.
The antenna impedance was measured by the network
analyzer. The antenna radiation patterns were measured
inside an anechoic chamber.
3.2

Results and discussion

Figure 8 shows the relationship between Ip and dc. The
cathode fall region was less than a few mm,32) and most parts
of the discharge tubes became a positive column. In every
case, dc was proportional to Ip. For the 1333 Pa tube, dc
increased rapidly at Ip = 200 mA because of the rapid
increase of the cathode fall voltage. This is likely because
the discharge mode was changed from normal discharge to
abnormal discharge. dc could not be measured at Ip = 50 mA

10

Plasma dc conductivity (S/m)

The discharge tubes were set on a 500-mm-diameter

aluminum plate, which served as a ground plate. The
electrodes were connected to a DC/RF power feed circuit
attached to the back side of the ground plate. The feed circuit
comprised a high-pass lter connected to an RF supply for
the radio wave and a low-pass lter connected to a DC supply
for the discharge. The high-pass lter prevented the DC
power from owing into the RF feed line, and the-low pass
lter prevented the RF power from owing into the DC feed
line. The impedance of the RF feed line was 50 .
The plasma DC conductivity dc was measured with the
following two methods: A search coil method and estimation
from currentvoltage (IV ) characteristics. In the search coil
method, dc is estimated by the impedance change of the
search coil wound around a discharge tube.30) The search coil
used in the measurement was a three-turn coil with an inner
diameter of 19 mm. The coil was composed of copper wire
with a diameter of 1 mm, and wound at the center between
the edge and the folded point of the tubes. The impedance
was measured by a network analyzer (Agilent E8364B) in the
frequency range 16 to 17 MHz. The electron distribution of
Eq. (6) was assumed in the calculations of dc.
In the estimation from the IV characteristics, dc is
calculated by the following analytical relation obtained by
integrating the relational equation of the current density and
the electric eld (Ohms law) in a positive column:



Z R
Ip

dc ne0 lp
2rne r dr
;
9
Vp
0

266 Pa (Search coil)

266 Pa (I-V char.)
1333 Pa (I-V char.)

0
0

50

100
150
Electric current (mA)

200

250

Fig. 8. (Color online) Plasma DC conductivity dc as a function of the

electric current Ip.

j50
j25

j100

VSWR = 2.0

j10

50

-j10

-j25
200 MHz
400 MHz

-j100

0 mA (OFF)
50 mA
100 mA
150 mA
200 mA
300 MHz

-j50

Fig. 9. (Color online) Impedance of the plasma antenna as a function of

the electric current Ip.

in the 1333 Pa tube because striation caused Ip to oscillate.33)

For the 266 Pa tube, the values of dc obtained by the search
coil method were within the range of the twice values of dc
obtained by the estimation from IV characteristics. This
difference seems reasonable compared with other measurement methods.34)
Figure 9 shows the impedance of the plasma antenna
plotted on the Smith chart. The impedance was measured
from 200 to 400 MHz. The black dashed circle indicates an
area where the voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) is less
than 2.0. The impedance at 300 MHz is also expressed as an
open triangle. The impedance described a circular trajectory
around the center of the Smith chart, and the input terminal of
the plasma antenna acted as an open end when the plasma
antenna was turned off (Ip = 0 mA). With increasing Ip , the
trajectory came closer to the center of the Smith chart. As for
the impedance at 300 MHz, the antenna resistance decreased
while the antenna reactance increased with increasing Ip .
Figure 10 shows the resonant frequency of the plasma
antenna, at which the reection loss became a minimum. The
error bar shows the area where the VSWR was less than 2.0.
The resonant frequency increased from 269 to 287 MHz in
proportion to Ip. The fractional bandwidth was approximately
15% on average at VSWR = 2.0.

016001-5

2015 The Japan Society of Applied Physics

Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 54, 016001 (2015)

T. Naito et al.
10

320

300

Antenna gain (dBi, E )

Reasonant frequency (MHz)

340

280
260
240
220

VSWR

2.0

200
0

50

100
150
Electric current (mA)

200

-20
-30

0 mA (OFF)
100 mA
150 mA
200 mA

-40
-50

250

-90

Fig. 10. Resonant frequency of the plasma antenna as a function of the

electric current Ip. The error bars indicate the frequency where VSWR is less
than 2.0.

-60

z = 0
E
= -90
x

= 90

-30
0
30
Elevation angle (deg)

60

90

Fig. 12. (Color online) Radiation patterns of the plasma antenna lled
with Ar at 1333 Pa (10 Torr).

10
Antenna maximum gain (dBi)

Antenna gain (dBi, E)

-10

-10
-20
0 mA (OFF)
50 mA
100 mA
150 mA
200 mA

-30
-40
-50
-90

-60

z = 0
E
= -90
x

-10

-15

Analytical gain
Numerical gain
266 Pa (Search coil)
266 Pa (I-V char.)
1333 Pa (I-V char.)

-20

= 90

-30
0
30
Elevation angle (deg)

-5

60

-25

90

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Plasma dc conductivity (S/m)

10

Fig. 11. (Color online) Radiation patterns of the plasma antenna lled
with Ar at 266 Pa (2 Torr).

Fig. 13. (Color online) Antenna maximum gain as a function of plasma

DC conductivity dc.

The radiation patterns of the plasma antenna at 300 MHz

are shown in Figs. 11 and 12. The inset gures show the
denition of the elevation angle and the polarization of the
electric eld E in each gure. The plasma antenna radiated
vertically polarized waves because the gains of the crosspolarized wave were no more than 20 dBi, regardless of Ip .
The antenna gain increased with Ip . The plasma antennas
had symmetric radiation patterns like a slice of a torus. The
radiation patterns did not depend on the polarity of Ip in spite
of the asymmetric plasma structure such as the cathode fall
region on one side where ne was lower than that of the
positive column region. This might be because the cathode
fall region was electrically negligible because of the low
capacitance between the electrode and the plasma. The radiation patterns were slightly asymmetric around 0 degrees even
without plasma because of the asymmetric conguration of
the feed circuit.
Figure 13 shows the antenna maximum gain as a function
of dc . The maximums of the analytical and numerical
antenna gains are also shown in the gure although the model
used in the calculation was a single monopole as shown in
Fig. 1. According to the numerical results of the electron
spatial distribution dependence, the plasma radius in the
model was modied so that the total number of electrons at
the plasma cross section Ne might be same as in the experi-

ment. The electron distribution of Eq. (6) was assumed,

and m/2 was xed at 1.69 GHz corresponding to 266 Pa
of Ar. The antenna gain increased with increasing dc. The
antenna gain was lower than the analytical antenna gain and
coincided well with the numerical antenna gain.
4.

Discussion

The experimental results coincide with the numerical

calculation results investigated in the previous section.
The antenna reactance increased with increasing Ip and dc .
This result corresponds to the numerical result that the electrical equivalent antenna length was increased and the plasma
antenna became inductive with increasing dc as shown by the
transition from condition B to condition A in Fig. 2.
The antenna resonant frequency increased with increasing
Ip and ne0 . This result corresponds to the numerical result that
the plasma reactance Xp decreased and the electrical shortening was suppressed with increasing ne0 as shown by the
transition from condition C to condition A in Fig. 2.
The antenna gain for the 1333 Pa tube was slightly higher
than that of the 266 Pa tube for dc < 4 S/m. Ne is roughly
proportional to the gas pressure when dc is xed. Thus, it is
probable that the Ne at 1333 Pa was larger than that at 266 Pa,
and that the antenna gain was increased by the suppression
of Xp .

016001-6

2015 The Japan Society of Applied Physics

Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 54, 016001 (2015)

T. Naito et al.

The experimental and numerical antenna gains matched

well although the antenna structure and the electron spatial
distribution were different. The plasma antenna was a double
column structure in the experiment, whereas it was a single
monopole in the simulation. This result corresponds to the
numerical calculation result that the antenna gain depends not
on the electron spatial distribution, but on Ne .
According to these results, the following two parameters
are important in addition to the ordinary antenna parameters
when a plasma antenna is designed. The rst is the ratio of
the electron elastic collision frequency to the total number of
electrons at the plasma cross section, m/Ne , which determines the antenna internal loss and the electrical equivalent
antenna length. The second is the ratio of the radio wave
frequency to the total number of electrons at the plasma
cross section, /Ne , which determines the antenna resonant
frequency.
Finally, the inuences of the antenna dimensions such
as l and R are not investigated in this work because the
antenna dimensions are usually determined by the target
antenna characteristics such as the wave frequency, directivity, and bandwidth. Once the antenna type is determined,
further discussion is possible. In the case of a quarter-wavelength monopole antenna, l is about c0/2. Ne is expressed
approximately as S0ne0/ 2 because R is inversely proportional to . Here, c0 is the speed of light in vacuum, and S0 is
a proportional constant that depends on the electron spatial
distribution. Then, Eq. (2) can be rewritten as


cme !m
!2
Zp Rp jXp 2
j
:
10
2e S0 ne0
ne0
Rp is proportional to , whereas Xp is proportional to 2.
The inuence of Xp becomes more prominent at higher .
5.

Conclusions

In this study, the plasma antenna characteristics were investigated theoretically and experimentally, focusing on the
plasma parameters. In a plasma antenna, the ratio of the
electron elastic collision frequency and the total number of
electrons at the plasma cross section determine the antenna
internal loss and the electrical equivalent antenna length,
whereas the ratio of the radio wave frequency to the total
number of electrons at the plasma cross section determines
the antenna resonant frequency. The antenna gain is determined from the balance of these two parameters. It is
meaningless to consider only the electron density or the
electron plasma frequency, which are usually used as criteria
for deciding whether plasma is metallic or dielectric.
The plasma parameters available for antenna operation are
in the range of values observed in common plasmas such as a

glow discharge in uorescent lamps. The plasma antenna has

many advantages over the conventional metallic antennas,
and the potential for wide application in future wireless
communication systems.

1) J. P. Rayner, A. P. Whichello, and A. D. Cheetham, IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.

32, 269 (2004).
2) R. Kumar and D. Bora, J. Appl. Phys. 109, 063303 (2011).
3) P. R. Russo, V. M. Primiani, G. Cerri, R. D. Leo, and E. Vecchioni, IEEE
Trans. Antennas Propag. 59, 425 (2011).
4) I. Alexeff, T. Anderson, and E. Farshi, Phys. Plasmas 15, 057104 (2008).
5) V. V. Ovsyanikov, I. A. Reznichenko, A. L. Olshevskiy, V. M. Popel,
K. V. Rodin, and Y. D. Romanenko, Proc. 4th Int. Conf. UWBUSIS, 2008,
p. 77.
6) L. Zheng, L. Cao, and Z. Zhang, Proc. Int. Symp. Antennas, Propagation
and EM Theory, 2008, p. 222.
7) T. Fukawasa, H. Chiba, H. Miyashita, Y. Konishi, T. Naito, K. Yamamoto,
and M. Hayama, IEICE Tech. Rep. 113, SANE2013-13, 25 (2013)
[in Japanese].
8) I. Alexeff, T. Anderson, S. Parameswaran, E. P. Pradeep, J. Hulloi, and P.
Hulloi, IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 34, 166 (2006).
9) C. Metz, U.S. Patent 7145512 (2006).
10) J. Hettinger, U.S. Patent 1309031 (1919).
11) R. Ghose, IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag. 15, 713 (1967).
12) T. Anderson and I. Alexeff, Ext. Abstr. IEEE Int. Conf. Plasma Sci., 2004,
p. 328.
13) J. Mitola and G. Q. Maguire, Jr., IEEE Personal Commun. 6, 13 (1999).
14) J. H. Winters, IEEE Personal Commun. 5, 23 (1998).
15) M. A. Lieberman and A. J. Lichtenberg, Principles of Plasma Discharges
and Materials Processing (Wiley, Hoboken, NJ, 2005) 2nd ed., p. 96.
16) T. Naito, O. Sakai, and K. Tachibana, Appl. Phys. Express 1, 066003
(2008).
17) H. K. Malik and A. K. Aria, J. Appl. Phys. 108, 013109 (2010).
18) Y. P. Raizer, Gas Discharge Physics (Springer, Berlin, 1991) 1st ed., p. 55.
19) C. A. Balanis, Antenna Theory (Wiley, Hoboken, NJ, 2005) 3rd ed.,
Chap. 2.
20) A. Taove, IEEE Trans. Electromagn. Compat. EMC-22, 191 (1980).
21) S. A. Cummer, IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag. 45, 392 (1997).
22) Y. Chen, R. Mittra, and P. Harms, IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Tech. 44,
832 (1996).
23) N. Dib, T. Weller, M. Scardelletti, and M. Imparato, IEEE Trans.
Microwave Theory Tech. 47, 509 (1999).
24) G. Mur, IEEE Trans. Electromagn. Compat. EMC-23, 377 (1981).
25) Q. Chen and V. F. Fusco, Proc. Int. Conf. Computations in Electromag.,
1994, p. 323.
26) R. Luebbers, K. S. Kunz, M. Schneider, and F. Hunsberger, IEEE Trans.
Antennas Propag. 39, 429 (1991).
27) M. A. Lieberman and A. J. Lichtenberg, Principles of Plasma Discharges
and Materials Processing (Wiley, Hoboken, NJ, 2005) 2nd ed., p. 540.
28) J. Lally and D. Rouch, IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag. 18, 764 (1970).
29) R. C. Hansen, IEEE Trans. Commun. 23, 430 (1975).
30) K. Misono and M. Kando, Rep. Grad. School Electron. Sci. Technol.
Shizuoka Univ. 20, 49 (1999) [in Japanese].
31) Y. Takeda, R. Kitamoto, T. Uetsuki, and O. Fukumasa, Shomei Gakkaishi
91, 700 (2007) [in Japanese].
32) A. V. Engel, Ionized Gases (AIP Press, New York, 1994) 1st ed., p. 230.
33) T. Donahue and G. H. Dieke, Phys. Rev. 81, 248 (1951).
34) S. Knappmiller, S. Robertson, and Z. Sternovsky, IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.
34, 786 (2006).

016001-7

2015 The Japan Society of Applied Physics