Plasma antenna

In an ionized gas plasma antenna, a gas is ionized to create a plasma. Unlike gases, plasmas have very high electrical conductivity so it is possible for radio frequency signals to travel through them so that they act as a driven element (such as a dipole antenna) to radiate radio waves, or to receive them. Alternatively the plasma can be used as a reflector or a lens to guide and focus radio waves from another source. Solid-state antennas differ in that the plasma is created from electrons generated by activating thousands of diodes on a silicon chip. ==Advantages==

Plasma antennas possess a number of advantages over metal antennas, including: • As soon as the plasma generator is switched off, the plasma returns to a non conductive gas and therefore becomes effectively invisible to radar. • They can be dynamically tuned and reconfigured for frequency, direction, bandwidth, gain and beamwidth, so replacing the need for multiple antennas. • They are resistant to electronic warfare. ==References==