Numerical modeling of EM scattering from plasma sheath: A review

• Published in: Engineering analysis with boundary elements Vol. 135; pp. 73 - 92
• Main Authors: Cong, Zhou, Chen, Rushan, He, Zi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2022
• Subjects: Differential equation methods; Highfrequency approximation methods; Integral equation methods; Plasma sheath; Integral equation methods; Differential equation methods; Highfrequency approximation methods; Plasma sheath
• ISSN: 0955-7997; 1873-197X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.enganabound.2021.11.013

Plasma generated by hypersonic aerocraft is one of the research subjects in computational electromagnetics. When the aerocraft flies at an ultra-high speed in the near space, plasma sheath will be generated in the surroundings and it will trigger varying changes in aerocraft radar electromagnetic scattering properties. Plasma sheath brings about tremendous impacts on the communication between the aerocraft and the outside world, and even ends with "blackout effects" to interrupt communication in severe cases. The interplay between the plasma sheath and the electromagnetic wave involves multiple disciplines covering aerodynamics, plasma sheath physics, and electromagnetic field theory. Therefore, it is challengeable to build a rigorous numerical modeling of the plasma sheath. In this paper, the latest technologies in the electromagnetic simulation of hypersonic aerocraft with plasma sheath are reviewed. Applied cases review and illustrate extensive approaches from approximate calculations to accurate calculations, including analytical methods, differential equation methods, integral equation methods and high-frequency approximation methods. The paper assesses the RCS of electromagnetic wave in analyzing the electromagnetic scattering problem in plasma. With the considerations the reality of electromagnetic simulation and future challenges, the paper talks about the efficiency, advantages and disadvantages of these approaches in simulating hypersonic aerocraft targets.