Numerical simulation of hypersonic vehicle plasma sheath and the attenuation effects on electromagnetic wave transmission

A research model of plasma flow field and electromagnetic (EM) wave around the hypersonic vehicle for solving the blackout problem is developed in this study. Based on the computational fluid dynamics simulation, the plasma flow fields are derived and serve as the background conditions in EM wave transmission. The complicated behavior of blackout is clarified at several altitudes. Moreover, the comparations of VHF (Very-High-Frequency) blackout data between the flight tests and numerical simulations verify the validity of numerical method. In addition, the external magnetic field is applied to this model. The effects of RHCP (right hand circularly polarized), LHCP (left hand circularly polarized) waves and magnetic induction are studied, and the results show that external magnetic field can effectively reduce the transmission attenuation, and the blackout problems can be solved when the proper strength of the magnetic field is applied.