Plasma

Antenna
By:ANSARI MOHD
ATIF
T.E.A , EC
ROL.NO.03
CONTENTS
 Introduction
 Features of Plasma antenna
 Working
 Comparison between Plasma antenna and
Traditional antenna
 Advantages
 Disadvantages
 Applications
 Conclusion
 References
What is Plasma ?
 By supplying energy the states of matter changes: from solid to
liquid and from liquid to gas. If further energy is added to a gas
it becomes ionized and passes over into the Plasma state – a
fourth  state of matter.

 Plasma is a gas in which a certain portion of the particles

are ionized. The presence of a non-negligible number of
charge carriers makes the plasma electrically conductive so
that it responds strongly to electromagnetic fields.

 Plasma – the fourth aggregate state of matter was

identified by an English physicist Sir William Crooks in 1879.
 Contd……
 Plasma has properties quite unlike those of solids, liquids, or gases and is considered be a distinct state
of matter.

    

Energy / Temperature Molecule Molecule (excited)

Ions Free electron Molecular fragment (high energy)

What is Plasma Antenna?
Plasma antenna are Radio frequency antenna that employ
plasma as a guiding medium for electromagnetic radiation.

It uses ionized gas instead of metal conducting element of

conventional antenna to transmit and receive signals,
decreasing interference and boosting the functionality.

In this plasma discharge tubes are used as the antenna

element.

When these Plasma tube is energized, they become

conductor and can transmit and receive radio Signal .
When they are deenergized they revert to non conducting
element and do not reflect radio probing signals. Plasma
antenna can be streed electronically.

Plasma can only exist while the

gas is kept very hot; as soon as
the heat source is shut off, the
plasma antenna returns to its
previous state, in which cold gas
is non conductive, but the signal
emitted or received by the
antenna disappears only when the
plasma cools down.
What is plasma antenna
technology?
 Plasma antenna technology is that which employs
ionized gas enclosed in a tube as conducting element.

 This is a fundamental change from traditional antenna

design that generally employs solid metal wires as the
conducting element.

 Ionized gas is an efficient conducting element with a

number of important advantages. Since the gas is
ionized only for the time of transmission or reception,
ringing and associated effects of solid wire antenna
design are eliminated.

 This technology has advanced to provide unique

antenna designs for applications ranging from general
broadcast of radio frequency signals for public use to
complex weapon systems.
Features Of Plasma Antenna
 Plasma antenna has the ability to focus a signal beam
easily and to communicate signals in very short pulses,
which could prove extremely useful in the areas of digital
communications and radar.

 A second fundamental distinguishing feature is that after

sending a pulse the plasma antenna
can be deionized, eliminating the ringing associated with
traditional metal elements. Ringing and the associated
noise of a metal antenna can severely limit capabilities in
high frequency short pulse transmissions.

 One important feature of Plasma antenna is that the gas

ionizing process
can manipulate resistance.
Contd……

 Changes in the ion density can result in instantaneous

changes in bandwidth over wide dynamic range.

 Plasma Antenna are reconfigurable for frequency,

bandwidth, gain, length of plasma column, radius of glass
tube.

 Plasma Antenna can transmit and receive from same

aperture provided the frequencies are widely separated.
 How does Plasma
antenna works?
 A plasma antenna generates localized concentrations of
plasma to form a plasma mirror which deflects an RF beam
launched from a central feed located at the focus of the
mirror.

 An ionized region, or solid state plasma, can be generated

in silicon using electronically controlled devices (plasma
diodes) that are positioned between closely spaced
metalized surfaces which constrain the beam.

 The plasma can be freely moved by switching groups of

plasma diodes on and off that follow the desired geometry
of the reflector.
  

 The resulting pattern of plasma diodes forms a rosette of

overlapping reflectors only one of which is active (i.e. reflecting) at
any one time. This enables the beam to be steered quickly without
the need for mechanical motion.

 In some realizations, the silicon disc (ie Si wafer) can act as a

cylindrical lens, to form a lens or reflector system that enables the
RF energy to be collimated. Working of Plasma antenna is shown in
the figure:
Diagram showing working of
Plasma antenna
 from Traditional Antenna?
Plasma Antenna Traditional
Antenna
1. Electronic movement is made
even more easily inside the
1. Solid metal antenna can
plasma antenna, because of
function because electrons
electrons are in a free state move freely in the metal
inside the hot gas. conductor.

2. Plasma antenna greatly 2. Conventional metal antennas

reduces the effects of can pick up various noises, or
interference. interference that bounce of
the surrounding metal
objects.
 Contd…..
3. Plasma antenna are 3.
efficient, low in weight
and smaller in size.
4.
4. Plasma antenna can be
switched on and off
easily.
Traditional antenna are
less efficient, more in
weight and larger in size.
Traditional antenna can’t
be easily switched on and
off.
Some types of Plasma
antenna

   Selectable Multibeam
Antenna

 Multiple Tube Plasma

Antenna
Advantages of Plasma
antenna
 High gain
 Low interference
 Low latency
 Wide bandwidth
 Affordable
 Compact and light weight
 Maintainace free
 Modular
Disadvantages of
Plasma antenna
As follow

Plasma volumes must be stable and repeatable.

Ionizer adds weight and volume.

Ionizer increases power consumption.

Higher ionization energy than for a tube.

 Applications of Plasma
Antenna
 Plasma antenna has a number of applications in defense,
space and homal appliances.

 Network Equipment Providers and Systems Integrators

 Network Operator

 Public Safety

 Networks Sensing Defense

 In Microwave Communication Plasma Antenna Provide

Ease for realignment of long range directional
antennas. -Low Cost  for the network owner.
 Conclusion
 Antennas constructed of metal can be big and bulky, and are
normally fixed in place. The fact that metal structures
cannot be easily moved when not in use limits some aspects
of antenna array design.

The plasma antenna is constructed using a hollow glass

column which is filled with plasma. This can be ionized by the
application of a strong RF field at the base of the column.
Once energized, the plasma column can be made to exhibit
many of the same characteristics of a metal whip antenna .
There are many potential advantages of plasma antenna.
To date, the research has produced many novel antennas
using standard fluorescent tubes and these have been
characterized and compare favourably with their metal
equivalents.
THANK YOU