Effects of Supporting Pillar Materials on the Near Fields in a Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse Test Site

Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse (NEMP) is generated whenever a nuclear weapon is detonated in air, and its mighty power may disrupt electronic instruments thousands of km away, therefore testing the survivability from NEMP is vital in every kind of aircraft. In NEMP test site, several cables are suspended in air to form a transmission line set up with pillars to support the cables in several meters high air. The structure ingredient of these pillars may affect the near fields of the test site. It is preferable such pillars are all made of dielectric material; however, such pillars constitute a high-cost part of the whole NEMP test site. In this article we simulate the difference in the electric field the pillar material makes, and found it is negligible.