Electrically Short Monopole Antenna Response in an Ionized Air Environment - Determination of Ionized Air Conductivity

The response of an electrically short, gamma thin, monopole antenna to an electric field in an ionized air environment has been measured, and can, under conditions discussed in the paper, be described with a surprisingly simple equivalent circuit. If conduction current is significant compared to displacement current, the response of the electrically short antenna is very sensitive to air conductivity. Such a condition exists in the AURORA flash X-ray facility test cell, and the monopole response yields quantitative information about ionized air conductivity.