Terahertz wave propagation and imaging detection characteristics in plasma

Geng Xingning; Li Jining; Xu Degang; Liu Chang; Fan Xiaoli; Yao Jianquan

doi:10.12086/oee.2020.190075

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Geng X N, Li J N, Xu D G, et al. Terahertz wave propagation and imaging detection characteristics in plasma[J]. Opto-Electron Eng, 2020, 47(5): 190075. doi: 10.12086/oee.2020.190075

Citation:

Geng X N, Li J N, Xu D G, et al. Terahertz wave propagation and imaging detection characteristics in plasma[J]. Opto-Electron Eng, 2020, 47(5): 190075. doi: 10.12086/oee.2020.190075

Terahertz wave propagation and imaging detection characteristics in plasma

1.
College of Precision Instrument and Opto-Electronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
2.
Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronics Information Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
3.
Science and Technology on Optical Radiation Laboratory, Beijing 100854, China

Fund Project: Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (61705162) and Equipment Pre-Research Fund (6140415010202)

More Information

^*Corresponding author: Li Jining, E-mail:jiningli@tju.edu.cn

Received Date 27 February 2019

Revised Date 06 August 2019

Published Date 01 May 2020

Abstract

Abstract

In this paper, the theoretical model of ununiform plasma sheath is established based on scattering matrix method and the transmission characteristics of 0.1 THz~10 THz wave are simulated. A kind of plasma jet is produced in laboratory environment according to the principle of dielectric barrier discharge. Then the measurement of transmission spectrum of terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS), broadband terahertz source, and the terahertz wave reflective imaging of target under plasma shelter are carried out, respectively. Both theory and experiment results show that terahertz wave has good penetration in plasma, which provides a new way for communication and radar detection in blackout area.
- terahertz wave /
- plasma sheath /
- propagation characteristics

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References

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Overview

Overview

Overview: Terahertz radiation is generally referred to the electromagnetic wave in the frequency range of 0.1 THz~10 THz, which is between millimeter wave and infrared wave in the electromagnetic spectrum, and it has the characteristics of coherence, instantaneity, low electron energy, and good penetrability. For a long time, terahertz wave has not been fully exploited and utilized compared with other bands of electromagnetic wave due to the lack of efficient terahertz radiation sources and high sensitivity terahertz detectors. In recent years, with the development of terahertz generation and detection technology, scientists have a deeper understanding of terahertz wave. Terahertz technology has also been widely used in more and more fields, such as terahertz security inspection, terahertz imaging, and terahertz communication. After entering the near space, a high-temperature and high-pressure environment is produced surrounding the hypersonic vehicle under the fierce interaction of the vehicle and atmosphere, which can ionize the gas around the vehicle, and thus produce a layer of plasma sheath covering the vehicle. The existence of plasma sheath will cause the distortion of communication signal and even interrupt it, here comes the well-known "blackout" problem. With the rapid development of aerospace industry, especially the utilization and development of near space, plasma sheath has become an urgent problem to be solved. Current research shows that increasing the frequency of electromagnetic wave higher than the plasma oscillation frequency can effectively reduce the shielding effect of plasma on electromagnetic wave, and the frequency of terahertz wave is much higher than that of microwave, so it can propagate better in plasma than microwave, which provides an effective method to solve the problem of plasma sheath. The NASA's RAM project in 1970s explored the attenuation effect of plasma medium on microwaves, and put forward various theories and methods for reducing the blackout issue. Since then, many attempts have been made to reduce the impact of plasma sheath on communication signal. However, many of the studies focus on microwave band. Terahertz wave has a desirable prospect in solving the blackout problem, so it is of great practical significance to study the propagation of terahertz wave in plasma. In this paper, the theoretical model of plasma is established, and the propagation of 0.1 THz~10 THz terahertz wave in plasma is simulated. Then the experiment of terahertz wave reflection imaging of target under plasma shelter are carried out. Both theory and experiment results show that terahertz wave has good penetration in plasma. This study will lay a theoretical foundation for solving the plasma blackout problem of hypersonic vehicle in near space.