Plane Wave Propagation in a Nonlinear, Inhomogeneous, Time-Dependent Plasma Medium

摘要

Numerical solutions to the energy balance equation and continuity equation have been obtained for the electron gas representing the nonlinear interaction of a radio-frequency plane wave with a time-varying and spatially varying electron density profile. Graphs are presented which depict the time-dependent response of the electron density and electron temperature when the inhomogeneous plasma is subjected to a monochromatic, radio-frequency plane wave. The interaction with a plasma medium is extended to the anisotropic case. An elliptically polarized plane wave incident upon an electron density profile induces changes in the electron temperature and electron density. A dc magnetic field parallel to the electron density gradients causes the elliptically polarized wave to split into two distinct modes, right and left circularly polarized modes, which are coupled through an energy balance equation for the electron gas that governs the electron temperature. The time-dependent response of the plasma is found by numerically integrating an energy balance equation and a continuity equation. The wave field in the time-dependent, anisotropic medium is expressed as a superposition of a right and left circularly polarized mode. The solution to the wave equation is obtained through the use of the WKB approximation. (Author)