Generation of Large Area, Sheet Plasma Mirrors for Redirecting High Frequency Microwave Beams

Large area, planar, sheet plasma mirrors have been generated with electron densities high enough to reflect X-band microwave beams. The $50\mathrm{cm}\times 60\mathrm{cm}$ negative glow plasmas operate in air and other gases at $\sim 100$ mTorr. These plasmas are immersed in an axial magnetic field of moderate strength (150–250 G), and they may be capable of being rapidly steered. The cathode which generates these sheet plasmas operates in a mode that appears to be distinctly different from the abnormal glow and hollow cathode modes.