Measuring the Time-Varying Channel Characteristics of the Plasma Sheath From the Reflected Signal

Due to high attenuation and large path loss, it is usually very difficult to measure the channel characteristics of the plasma sheath from the received signal. This paper proposes a novel method to measure them from the reflected signal. Using the finite-difference time-domain algorithm, electron density variation of the plasma sheath and its impact on the transmitted and reflected signals are investigated numerically. High correlations between these two signals are observed from both amplitude and phase, which enables us to online estimate one signal from the other for channel measurement and channel modeling conveniently. This would be very useful to further develop some channel adaptive communication techniques for alleviating the radio blackout problem.

[1]  M. Bachynski,et al.  Electromagnetic Properties of High-Temperature Air , 1959, Proceedings of the IRE.

[2]  D. M. Bushnell,et al.  Experimental investigation of multiple-jet liquid injection into hypersonic flow , 1970 .

[3]  James P. Rybak,et al.  Progress in Reentry Communications , 1971, IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems.

[4]  Anthony Demetriades,et al.  Mean and Fluctuating Electron Density in Equilibrium Turbulent Boundary Layers , 1971 .

[5]  Andrew M. Sessler,et al.  WKB solution for wave propagation in a time-varying magnetoplasma medium: longitudinal propagation , 1993 .

[6]  J. Roth,et al.  Numerical calculation of the reflection, absorption, and transmission of microwaves by a nonuniform plasma slab , 1993 .

[7]  Allen Taflove,et al.  Computational Electrodynamics the Finite-Difference Time-Domain Method , 1995 .

[8]  N. Kasdin.  Discrete simulation of colored noise and stochastic processes and 1/fα power law noise generation , 1995, Proc. IEEE.

[9]  Gang Wei,et al.  SMM analysis of reflection, absorption, and transmission from nonuniform magnetized plasma slab , 1999 .

[10]  Alec D. Gallimore,et al.  Electromagnetic signal modification in a localized high-speed plasma flow: Simulations and experimental validation of a stationary plasma thruster , 1999 .

[11]  I. F. Belov,et al.  Investigation of Remote Antenna Assembly for Radio Communication with Reentry Vehicle , 2001 .

[12]  D. D. Morabito,et al.  The Spacecraft Communications Blackout Problem Encountered during Passage or Entry of Planetary Atmospheres , 2002 .

[13]  W. Bailey,et al.  Governing Equations for Weakly Ionized Plasma Flowfields of Aerospace Vehicles , 2002 .

[14]  T. Lin,et al.  Influence of reentry turbulent plasma fluctuation on EM wave propagation , 2002 .

[15]  Wen-Yan Yin,et al.  Perfectly matched layer implementation using bilinear transform for microwave device applications , 2005 .

[16]  R. W. Seibold,et al.  Causes and mitigation of radio frequency (RF) blackout during reentry of reusable launch vehicles , 2007 .

[17]  Michael Keidar,et al.  Analysis of an Electromagnetic Mitigation Scheme for Reentry Telemetry Through Plasma , 2008 .

[18]  Isaiah M. Blankson,et al.  Review of Leading Approaches for Mitigating Hypersonic Vehicle Communications Blackout and a Method of Ceramic Particulate Injection Via Cathode Spot Arcs for Blackout Mitigation , 2010 .

[19]  Xiao-Li Xi,et al.  Simulation of Electromagnetic Wave Propagation Through Plasma Sheath Using the Moving-Window Finite-Difference Time-Domain Method , 2011, IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science.

[20]  Y. M. Liu,et al.  CHARACTERISTIC OF PLASMA SHEATH CHANNEL AND ITS EFFECT ON COMMUNICATION , 2012 .

[21]  Bowen Bai,et al.  Navigation antenna performance degradation caused by plasma sheath , 2013 .

[22]  Bin Wu,et al.  Channel Characterization and Finite-State Markov Channel Modeling for Time-Varying Plasma Sheath Surrounding Hypersonic Vehicles , 2014 .