The properties of the electromagnetic missile

Abstract

The electromagnetic field from the current in a circular disk and its Poynting vector off the axis of propagation have been investigated both analytically and experimentally. These studies show that the electromagnetic (EM) missile has the following properties: (1) The waveform of the EM field when propagating remains similar in shape but diminishes in size. (2) The transverse distribution of energy around the axis is stable; i.e., when the longitudinal distance increases, the transverse pattern of the energy remains the same. This ‘‘plane-wave beamlike’’ property is different from continuous-wave (cw) radiation, in which the energy pattern is like that of a spherical wave. (3) The transverse energy pattern has a cusp on the axis. This property is also different from cw radiation. With cw, the radiation has a flat top on the axis of the main lobe.