It looks like a sheet of cotton candy, pink and thinner than
a butter knife, pulsing to life for microseconds, then disappearing,
only to reappear elsewhere in microseconds, repeating thusly,
over and over again. It is mesmerizing.
It is also beautiful visually
and by virtue of its potential as a military asset. It
is formed as electron beams stream through a low pressure gas
and ionize the background. The electrons are emitted by a long,
thin cathode and stream through the gas in tight helical orbits
due to a low magnetic field. The generation of the long, thin
beam is significant because it allows NRL scientists to create
a smooth plasma surface for Agile Mirror, and a smooth surface
is important if one wants to reflect microwave beams off it.
"You can't have a bumpy
mirror," said Dr. Robert Meger, Head of the Charged Particles
Physics Branch, Plasma Physics Division.
The Agile Mirror creates interesting
physics challenges, according to Dr. Meger, and it brings plasma
physics to finding a home in the real-world Navy.
"Anti-ship missiles are
becoming faster, smarter, and stealthier," Dr. Meger said,
"while rapidly proliferating around the globe. To counter
this threat a number of different radar or electro-optic sensor
systems have been developed and deployed, each addressing some
aspect of the threat.
"A single high-power,
high-frequency,
electronically steered, multifunction radar could fulfill most
of these missions," Dr. Meger said.
With Agile Mirror technology,
a radar system could track multiple targets by successively sampling
the different targets according to an appropriate computer
algorithm.
Under development since 1993
by NRL's Plasma Physics Division, Agile Mirror represents new,
technically feasible technology which carries high risk but offers
high payoff, Dr. Meger said.
If NRL's continuing developmental
efforts are successful, the Agile Mirror will be ready for transition
to Advanced Technology Demonstration.
One day in the 21st Century,
Agile Mirror-based radar could serve as the eyes of the Fleet,
and plasma physics will, indeed, have found a home in the real
world Navy.
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is the Navy's full-spectrum corporate laboratory, conducting a broadly based multidisciplinary program of scientific research and advanced technological development. The Laboratory, with a total complement of nearly 2,500 personnel, is located in southwest Washington, D.C., with other major sites at the Stennis Space Center, Miss., and Monterey, Calif. NRL has served the Navy and the nation for over 85 years and continues to meet the complex technological challenges of today's world. For more information, visit the NRL homepage or join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
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