Controllable Plasma Array System to Manipulate Electromagnetic Waves
Department
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Major
Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering
Research Advisor
Pommerenke, David
Advisor's Department
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Funding Source
OURE Fellowship
Abstract
Plasma possesses many unique properties that allow it to be extremely useful in many areas of engineering. One such property is the ability to change its permeability and permittivity by changing the density of the plasma. When these properties change, the effects of the plasma on incoming electromagnetic waves changes as well. Using this feature of plasma, it is possible to find a specific density that will have a desired effect at a desired frequency of an incoming wave. With an array of plasma filaments, it then becomes possible to have controllable geometry as well as controllable material properties. The large number of controllable parameters within a single device will allow this research project to construct a plasma array that will be able to be tuned for many effects on many frequencies. This removes the need for having a different device for every frequency and effect that you need to achieve. The results of this research can also be used to help in the development of better plasma antennas, Impedance matching devices, and super lenses.
Biography
Nicholas O’Gorman has had a love of designing and building for since he was a child. He spent most of his childhood taking apart machines and building devices. During high school, his love of engineering flourished within his school’s robotics team. After entering college, he learned of the OURE program offered at Rolla and took it as an opportunity to work on new ideas. He worked on two different projects involving robotics, a controllable humanoid robot and a surveillance robot. However, during his time at S&T, he learned that his passions lied within the field of electromagnetics and energy flows. While helping Matt Paliwoda on his research for his masters with plasma, he found a field that possessed both. With a large interest in the plasma field, he began working to learn about how plasma works and what can be done in that field.
Presentation Type
OURE Fellows Proposal Oral Applicant
Document Type
Presentation
Location
Turner Room
Presentation Date
11 Apr 2017, 2:00 pm - 2:20 pm
Controllable Plasma Array System to Manipulate Electromagnetic Waves
Turner Room
Plasma possesses many unique properties that allow it to be extremely useful in many areas of engineering. One such property is the ability to change its permeability and permittivity by changing the density of the plasma. When these properties change, the effects of the plasma on incoming electromagnetic waves changes as well. Using this feature of plasma, it is possible to find a specific density that will have a desired effect at a desired frequency of an incoming wave. With an array of plasma filaments, it then becomes possible to have controllable geometry as well as controllable material properties. The large number of controllable parameters within a single device will allow this research project to construct a plasma array that will be able to be tuned for many effects on many frequencies. This removes the need for having a different device for every frequency and effect that you need to achieve. The results of this research can also be used to help in the development of better plasma antennas, Impedance matching devices, and super lenses.
