Simulation of electromagnetic wave–plasma interactions in ellipsoidal inductively coupled plasma

Abstract

Plasma stealth has emerged as a promising approach for electromagnetic wave attenuation due to its broadband absorption capability and structural flexibility. In this work, a comprehensive numerical evaluation of electromagnetic (EM) wave–plasma interaction in an ellipsoidally distributed inductively coupled plasma (ICP) is presented using COMSOL Multiphysics. Unlike conventional planar or cylindrical ICP configurations, the ellipsoidal geometry introduces spatially varying curvature that fundamentally alters electromagnetic field localization, plasma density evolution, and resistive loss behavior. The temporal evolution of key plasma parameters, including electric field/potential, electron density, electron temperature, and resistive loss, is examined under GHz-band incident electromagnetic waves. The results show that electron density enhances over time and concentrates near the center of the ellipsoidal plasma, leading to enhanced resistive loss and electromagnetic attenuation, while electron temperature gradually decreases. The strong electric field distribution within the ellipsoidal plasma produces pronounced wave distortion effects, which can result in apparent displacement of reflected electromagnetic signals. These findings demonstrate that ellipsoidal ICP geometry offers distinct electromagnetic interaction characteristics compared with conventional geometries and provides useful insights for the design and optimization of plasma-based stealth and electromagnetic attenuation systems.