Investigation of near cut‐off properties of electromagnetic wave propagation in homogeneous, collisional plasma slab

Abstract

AbstractFluctuations in the signal of optical coefficients of propagative electromagnetic (EM) waves in plasma, can cause problems in phase analysis, especially in microwave diagnostic systems which are based on the reflection, and transmission of EM waves in the vicinity of cut‐off layer of the plasma. In this study, optical properties of EM wave propagation in a single layer, homogeneous, and partially ionized plasma slab are investigated. For realistic analysis of propagation characteristics of the EM wave in the plasma slab, multiple reflections of the EM wave from plasma‐vacuum boundaries, known as incoherent internal reflections (IIR) are considered. Optical coefficients of the EM wave are numerically simulated in terms of the plasma parameters and wave frequency, with and without consideration of the incoherent internal reflections effect. It was found that in the low‐loss collision regime, the cut‐off fluctuations of the optical coefficients can be filtered considering the incoherent internal reflections of the EM wave. Such analysis of the EM wave propagation in plasma slab can be considered the primary physical design of diagnostic facilities and EM wave absorbing structures operating in the cut‐off frequency ranges.