RADIANT SYSTEM BASED ON COLD PLASMA

The actual problem of studying the basic properties and searching for methods of improving the plasma radiator array, which is similar to the array of metal or dielectric antennas, has been considered. This problem is not sufficiently covered in the well-known publications, however, the great interest of professionals to emitters based on cold plasma is due to the prospect of creating effective multi-beam scanning selective plasma reconfigurable systems or the plasma array of radiators (PAR). The article studies the main electrodynamics parameters of PAR in the microwave range, characterizing it on the one hand, as the load for the generator (receiver) of electromagnetic (EM) signal. On the other hand, PAR is tested as transmitter of EM energy from the point of view of its direction pattern (DP) and the main parameters of radiation of PAR. When scanning DP beam, impedance distortion of PAR transmitters and DP deformation are investigated. For comparison, similar studies were carried out for the same design and configuration of the pattern antenna (PA) of metal antennas. The studies have been carried out by PAR modeling and their parameters calculations on computer in software environment FEKO by integral equation method and method of moments for linear PAR from 4 emitters in the form of loop dielectric tubes filled with cold plasma under reduced pressure. When studying the self and mutual impedances of the PAR and metal PA in common mode for the distance between the transmitters 0.5l₀, where l₀ is the central wavelength of the test range, it has been determined that electromagnetic interference between antennas in PAR is less than in the metal antenna array, and when reducing the distance between transmitters grating with 0.5l₀ – 0.25l₀ the relative change in value of units of the input impedance of each radiator of PAR is twice less than for a lattice of aluminum, which allows to bring together the radiator of PAR without a substantial increase in interference between them. From comparison of DP of radiant systems of PAR and aluminum arrays while scanning, it is obvious that DP of PAR are less distorted than aluminum array. The obtained results can be used for calculations and design of plasma array of radiators.