Investigation of the effect of dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators on the radar cross section of an object

Abstract

The application of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma as an electromagnetic absorber was investigated by determining the radar cross section (RCS) of a rectangular, flat plate with a DBD plasma actuator array installed on one of its sides. In order to justify the experimental results, the expected effect of plasma actuation on RCS was analysed by determining the attenuation effect of the plasma with the Lorentz model. Due to the very limited life time of the free electrons and the small extent of the plasma sheath, the attenuation was found to be only minimal. The theoretical results have been verified by comparing the measured RCS values of a plate with and without plasma actuation applied on it in a high-frequency anechoic lab. As expected, no significant influence of DBD plasma on RCS was detected. In addition, it was found that the high voltage power supply used as a part of DBD circuitry produced a high level of disturbance even in the microwave range.