High power, fast, microwave components based on beam generated plasmas

It is shown that the agile mirror plasma, under development as a device to simply and cheaply give electronic steering to microwave beams, also has application as a fast, electronically controlled, high power reflector, or phase shifter. In a radar system, this can lead to such applications as pulse to pulse polarization agility and electronic control of antenna gain, as well as to innovative approaches to high power millimeter wave circulators. The basic theory of the enhanced glow plasma is also developed.