Subsonic plasma aerodynamics using paraelectric and peristaltic electrohydrodynamic (EHD) effects

Summary form only given. The recent development of the one atmosphere uniform glow discharge plasma (OAUGDP) has made it possible to cover large areas, including the wings and fuselage of aircraft, with a thin layer of plasma at low energy cost. This plasma layer provides a purely electrohydrodynamic (EHD) coupling between the electric field and the neutral gas in the boundary layer. This coupling is strong enough to accelerate and manipulate the boundary layer and free stream flow, and does not require real currents to flow in a magnetic field, as do magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) approaches. The OAUGDP operates at the Stoletow point, at which the energy cost of an ion-electron pair is the minimum theoretically possible, 81 eV/ion electron pair in air. Other atmospheric plasmas, such as the arcs used for some MHD approaches, require 10,000-50,000 eV/ion electron pair to maintain the plasma. One EHD flow acceleration method is based on paraelectric EHD effects, the electrostatic analog of paramagnetism, in which a plasma is accelerated toward increasing electric field gradients, while dragging the neutral gas with it. In a second approach to flow acceleration, we are conducting experiments in the UT Plasma Sciences Laboratory designed to simultaneously generate a one atmosphere uniform glow discharge plasma (OAUGDP) while effecting peristaltic flow acceleration of atmospheric air.