Current distribution on a thin cylindrical antenna immersed in an isotropic compressible plasma

Abstract

An integrodifferential equation is derived for the current distribution along a thin, hollow, center-driven, cylindrical, perfectly conducting antenna immersed in an isotropic, compressible plasma. On the basis of this equation it is shown that the current distribution approaches sinusoidal form as the radius of the antenna approaches zero. The propagation constant for this current is approximately equal to the free-space wave number for most frequencies greater than the plasma frequency.