Antenna Performance in a Corona Plasma

Abstract

The formation of corona discharges at high potentials was studied. Glow coronas were found to be generated when the electric field magnitude is in excess of 3MV/m in general for air at atmospheric pressure. The number density of electrons in the glow corona can only be approximated, but the results obtained from the Boltzmann transport equation promise to be accurate enough to give meaningful wave attenuation results, so long as the number density is below 1019 m-3 electrons. Above this density, the attenuation increases dramatically and approximations for density may no longer be valid. Wave propagation and antenna parameters in a corona plasma can be computed through simulation using dielectric slabs of complex impedance to simulate a plasma sheath.