Effect of Ion Engine Exhaust on the Radiation Field of a Dipole Antenna Part I: Infinite Slab Model for the Exhaust Ion Beam

A theory of the effect of an ion rocket engine exhaust on the radiation pattern of a dipole antenna is presented. The electromagnetic equations are combined with those describing the exhaust plasma beam to calculate its equivalent effective dielectric constant. In part I of this paper, the beam is represented by an infinite slab of a homogenous plasma medium, as is usually considered in space charge neutralization studies of this type of engine. The equations of propagation of electromagnetic waves through the beam medium, are used to calculate the total dipole radiation field. The method of steepest descent is applied for the evaluation of the integrals. It is found that the dipole radiation pattern depends greatly on the beam characteristic parameters.