US Patent 11024950 Wideband laser-induced plasma filament antenna with modulated conductivity

An antenna comprising: a radio frequency (RF) coupler; a transceiver communicatively coupled to the RF coupler; a laser configured to generate a plurality of femtosecond laser pulses so as to create, without the use of high voltage electrodes, a laser-induced plasma filament (LIPF) in atmospheric air, wherein the laser is operatively coupled to the RF coupler such that RF energy is transferred between the LIPF and the RF coupler; and wherein the laser is configured to modulate a characteristic of the laser pulses at a rate within the range of 1 Hz to 1 GHz so as to modulate a conduction efficiency of the LIPF thereby creating a variable impedance LIPF antenna.