Transient Nonlinear Circuit Models of Scattering Antennas with Corona

This study investigates the effects of air breakdown on the transient response of a monopole antenna excited by an incident step-function plane wave. A simple transmission-line circuit model of the antenna is developed and the response of this model is shown to agree very well with a finite-difference solution of the problem. This model correctly predicts the time when air breakdown occurs, the general shape of the antenna response, and the amplitude of the response to within a factor of two. The main effect of the air breakdown on the antenna response is to inject a sharp spike in the antenna base current waveform.