Improved Scattering-Matrix Method and its Application to Analysis of Electromagnetic Wave Reflected by Reentry Plasma Sheath

In this paper, we propose an improved scattering-matrix method (ISMM) to deal with the propagation of electromagnetic (EM) wave in plasma. As a stratification-based method, the ISMM is based on the scattering-matrix method (SMM) and thus inherits the advantages of the SMM in accuracy and high efficiency. But different from the SMM, the ISMM improves the scattering matrices by adjusting the reference point for each layer interface, making the matrices more robust in calculation. This improvement enhances the robustness of the method in dealing with various media situations, especially for the case of a metal as the floor layer and that of extreme plasmas, which is a weakness for the SMM. After presenting the ISMM, we use it to analyze the EM wave reflected by a reentry plasma sheath, which is an important field but with few new results. With the study of various plasma parameters of the reentry plasma sheath, the ISMM is applied to reveal the characteristics of the sheath. In simulations, the validity of the ISMM is first demonstrated, and then the reflection, transmission, and absorption properties of the EM wave propagating in the plasma sheath are studied by the ISMM. The phenomena of “sunken regions” and “phase jumps” of the plasma sheath are revealed in simulations, which may cause energy loss and distortion of the EM wave.