Title :
Demonstration of the frequency upshifting of microwave radiation by rapid plasma creation
Author :
Joshi, Chandra J. ; Clayton, C.E. ; Marsh, K. ; Hopkins, D.B. ; Sessler, A. ; Whittum, D.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng., California Univ., Los Angeles, CA, USA
fDate :
10/1/1990 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
A technique for frequency-upshifting electromagnetic radiation is demonstrated. By ionizing azulene vapor contained in a resonant cavity using a laser pulse, the frequency of the incident RF wave at 33.3 GHz is upshifted by 5% with greater than 10% efficiency. Maximum frequency upshift of 2.3 times the source frequency is observed. There are two mechanisms thought to be operative in producing the observed frequency upshift: the time-dependent dielectric constant due to increasing plasma density, and rapid Q-switching of the cavity. This technique has the potential of being able to generate tunable and chirped radiation over a very broad (Δf/f≳1) frequency range
Keywords :
Q-switching; electromagnetic wave propagation in plasma; permittivity; plasma density; plasma production; 33.3 GHz; Q-switching; RF wave; azulene; frequency upshifting; laser pulse; microwave radiation; plasma creation; plasma density; resonant cavity; time-dependent dielectric constant; Chirp; Dielectric constant; Electromagnetic radiation; Masers; Optical pulses; Plasma density; Pulsed laser deposition; Radio frequency; Resonance; Tunable circuits and devices;
Journal_Title :
Plasma Science, IEEE Transactions on
