ANTENNA WITH RECONFIGURABLE PLASMA CORNER REFLECTOR
The article deals with the antenna with reconfigurable reflector. Its operating frequencies are in the UHF band and are located at frequencies from 637 to 648 MHz. A plasma vibrator antenna is used as the transmitter. The reflector is a corner-shape with an angle between the walls of 60°. The walls of the reflector are made of plasma elements, which are gas-discharge tubes capable of switching on and off at very short intervals. When on, they are a conductive surface and reflect electromagnetic waves, and when off, waves pass them freely. This allows, by turning certain groups of plasma elements on and off, to change the position of the reflector in space. The design of the reflector and the width of the radiation pattern in the horizontal plane allows for uniform radiation in all directions across the horizon. Also, since a plasma antenna is used as a transmitter, a covert mode with a reduced radar cross-section (RCS) is possible. The characteristics of the antenna were determined by electrodynamic simulation. The efficiency of the covert mode was evaluated by comparing the RCS of the plasma antenna and its metal counterpart. The results show that the antenna has a high radiation efficiency and significantly lower RCS values in the stealth mode.