Determination of Electromagnetic Wave Propagation from an Electrically Pulsed Thin Film

Abstract

The Energy Systems Institute is currently performing pulsed-power flashover research on thin films arranged in various geometries. Currently the research is focused on the power transfer characteristics of the film, which consists of a polypropylene layer with a thin aluminum coating on it. It is also known that the surface arcing that occurs when an appropriate electrical pulse is applied to the film is affected by the presence of magnetic and electric fields. By arranging the film in various geometries, the electric and magnetic fields produced by the current will be altered, thereby changing the behavior of the plasma and surface arcing. Therefore, it is important to know the spatial and temporal dependence of these fields so that the resultant surface arcing can be understood and even predicted. In order to do this, a model will be fitted to the experimental current waveform and used in a theoretical treatment of the electrodynamic processes. The necessary calculations will be performed numerically and the results presented as a function of space and time.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 2006
Accession Number
ADA502595

Entities

People

  • E. M. Halstead
  • Harpreet Singh
  • J. Zirnheld
  • K. Burke
  • Maureen N. Hood

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aluminum Coatings
  • Charge Density
  • Computer Programs
  • Current Density
  • Differential Equations
  • Electric Fields
  • Electromagnetic Fields
  • Electromagnetic Wave Propagation
  • Energy Systems
  • Equations
  • Films
  • Geometry
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Pulsed Power
  • Thin Films
  • Two Dimensional
  • Wave Propagation

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Plasma Physics.
  • Pulsed Power and Plasma Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster