A Compact Loop Antenna System for Monitoring Local Electromagnetic Environments in Geospace

A sensor network consisting of a number of palm-sized nodes with small electric and magnetic sensors has been proposed to monitor local electromagnetic activities in space plasmas. In the present study, a compact loop antenna system is designed and fabricated for use in sensor nodes that can capture magnetic vector fields from ELF to MF frequencies. The performance of the developed system is shown to be sufficient to allow measurement of the magnetic field activity around artificial structures in addition to intense natural plasma waves in geospace. key words: loop antenna, sensor network, electromagnetic environment, space plasma