This paper reports radiation characteristics of input power from a surface wave sustained plasma antenna investigated theoretically and experimentally, especially focusing on the power consumption balance between the plasma generation and the radiation. The plasma antenna is a dielectric tube filled with argon and small amount of mercury, and the structure is a basic quarter wavelength monopole antenna at 2.45 GHz. Microwave power at 2.45 GHz is supplied to the plasma antenna. The input power is partially consumed to sustain the plasma, and the remaining part is radiated as a signal. The relationship between the antenna gain and the input power is obtained by an analytical derivation and numerical simulations. As a result, the antenna gain is kept at low values, and most of the input power is consumed to increase the plasma volume until the tube is filled with the plasma whose electron density is higher than the critical electron density required for sustaining the surface wave. On the other hand, the input power is consumed to increase the electron density after the tube is fully filled with the plasma, and the antenna gain increases with increasing the electron density. The dependence of the antenna gain on the electron density is the same as that of a plasma antenna sustained by a DC glow discharge. These results are confirmed by experimental results of the antenna gain and radiation patterns. The antenna gain of the plasma is a few dB smaller than that of the identical metal antenna. The antenna gain of the plasma antenna is sufficient for the wireless communication, although it is difficult to substitute the plasma antenna for metal antennas completely. The plasma antenna is suitable for applications having high affinity with the plasma characteristics such as low interference and dynamic controllability.

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This paper reports plasma antenna characteristics investigated theoretically and experimentally, on the basis of the plasma parameters: gaseous collisionality and electron density. The antenna structure is a basic quarter-wavelength monopole antenna in the UHF band. The dependence of the antenna gain on the plasma parameters is obtained by analytical equations from plasma and antenna theory, and by numerical simulations. In the plasma antenna, the ratio of the electron elastic collision frequency to the total number of electrons at the plasma cross section determines the antenna’s internal loss and the electrical equivalent antenna length, whereas the ratio of the radio wave frequency to the total number of electrons at the plasma cross section determines the antenna’s resonant frequency. These results are confirmed by experimental results of the antenna’s impedance and radiation patterns.

Reduction of cross polarization in higher frequency is performed for a circularly polarized broadband antenna consisting of a waveguide and an L-shaped feed probe. Cross polarization over a wide elevation range was enhanced in higher frequency beyond the cutoff frequency of first higher order mode in the previously proposed structure. To reduce the cross polarization, the surface of a short wall of the waveguide is modified to be curved parabolically. And, coefficients of the parabolic function for the short wall are optimized to provide the ideal amplitude ratio characteristics. As a result, cross polarization is reduced by 5 dB to 10 dB using the short wall.