Magnetohydrodynamic effects on radio signal propagation in a plasma flow
摘要
The plasma around a reentry spacecraft causes the charged particles to interact with the electromagnetic waves emitted by the on-board antennas, and the vehicle experiences radio communication difficulties. A proposed way to mitigate the radio blackout is the magnetic field alleviation technique that consists of superimposing a magnetic field onto the flow, converting the plasma into an anisotropic medium, and changing its refractive index. The applied magnetic field leads to the creation of an extraordinary wave that can propagate for plasma frequencies higher than the radio signal frequency. In this work, a probe containing a cryogenically-cooled high-temperature superconducting magnet is used to study the effect of an applied magnetic field on the plasma flow and on the radio signal propagation, in the VKI Plasmatron facility. The magnetized plasma is characterized by optical emission spectroscopy, stagnation heat flux, and dynamic pressure measurements. The experimental radio signal measurements are conducted using conical horn antennas, operating at frequencies in the K