LAUSR

The reason for communication blackout in hypersonic vehicles is strong interference from the plasma sheath on antenna radiation. This paper presents the calculation of the effects of a plasma sheath on microstrip antenna radiation using the ray tracing method, a method comprising an accurate and complex theoretical algorithm. Using an integrated model of a plasma sheath and microstrip antenna, the ray tracing method is used to obtain the disturbed electric field in the sheath with different parameters. This study reveals that the sensitivity of X-band antenna radiation to the alteration of plasma parameters is lower than that of C-band antenna radiation. These numerical results provide a reference guide for the design of antennas for use in hypersonic vehicles.