The propagation of Alfvén wave in magnetized plasma sheath of hypersonic vehicles in near space

Abstract

Hypersonic plasma sheath could shield communication signals, which results in the so-called “blackout.” Blackout is a major risk to the safety of re-entry vehicles and cruise hypersonic vehicles in near space. In this study, a propagation model of Alfvén waves in plasma sheaths is developed. The impacts of the external magnetic field, the wave frequency, and the boundary conductivity on the Alfvén attenuation were investigated. According to the simulation results, once the conductivity is close to the Alfvénic conductivity near the onboard antenna, the attenuation of Alfvén waves in the plasma sheath could reach its minimum. The total attenuation of the Alfvén wave in the plasma sheath decreases with the carrier frequency. Also, the attenuation decreases with increasing magnetic field strength.