GUIDED-SURFACE WAVEGUIDE PROBES
Disclosed is a guided surface waveguide probe including a charge terminal configured to generate an electromagnetic field and a support apparatus that supports the charge terminal above a lossy conducting medium, wherein the electromagnetic field generated by the charge terminal synthesizes a wave front incident at a complex Brewster angle of incidence (θ i,B ) of the lossy conducting medium.
1 . A guided surface waveguide probe comprising:
a charge terminal configured to generate an electromagnetic field; and
a support apparatus that supports the charge terminal above a lossy conducting medium;
wherein the electromagnetic field generated by the charge terminal synthesizes a wave front incident at a complex Brewster angle of incidence (θ i,B ) of the lossy conducting medium to cause a Zenneck surface wave to be launched in the lossy conducting medium.
2 . The probe of claim 1 , wherein the support apparatus comprises a non-conductive vertical support.
3 . The probe of claim 2 , wherein the non-conductive vertical support is a non-conductive vertical pole.
4 . The probe of claim 3 , wherein the vertical pole is made of a polymeric material.
5 . The probe of claim 2 , wherein the support apparatus further comprises non-conductive tensioned lines that reinforce the vertical pole.
6 . The probe of claim 5 , wherein the tensioned lines are made of a polymeric material.
7 . The probe of claim 1 , wherein the support apparatus comprises multiple non-conductive vertical supports.
8 . The probe of claim 7 , wherein the vertical supports comprise non-conductive vertical poles.
9 . The probe of claim 8 , wherein the vertical poles are made of a polymeric material.
10 . The probe of claim 8 , wherein the support apparatus further comprises non-conductive cross-members that extend between the poles.
11 . The probe of claim 10 , wherein the cross-members are made of a polymeric material.
12 . The probe of claim 8 , wherein the support apparatus further comprises non-conductive tensioned lines that extend between the vertical poles and the charge terminal.
13 . The probe of claim 12 , wherein the tensioned lines are made of a polymeric material.
14 . The probe of claim 1 , wherein the support apparatus comprises multiple non-conductive diagonal supports.
15 . The probe of claim 14 , wherein the diagonal supports comprise non-conductive diagonal poles.
16 . The probe of claim 15 , wherein the diagonal poles are made of a polymeric material.
17 . The probe of claim 15 , wherein the support apparatus further comprises cross-members that extend between the poles, the cross-members being made of a polymeric material.
18 . The probe of claim 1 , further comprising a feed network electrically coupled to the charge terminal, the feed network providing a phase delay (Φ) that matches a wave tilt angle (Ψ) associated with the complex Brewster angle of incidence (θ i,B ) in the vicinity of the guided surface waveguide probe.
19 . The probe of claim 18 , wherein the feed network comprises a conductive coil and wherein the support apparatus comprises a vertical support, the vertical support comprising the coil and a non-conductive vertical pole that extends between the coil and the charge terminal.
20 . A method for generating guided surface waves comprising:
with a charge terminal supported above a lossy conducting medium by a support apparatus of a guided surface waveguide probe, generating an electromagnetic field that synthesizes a wave front incident at a complex Brewster angle of incidence (θ i,B ) of the lossy conducting medium to cause a Zenneck surface wave to be launched in the lossy conducting medium.