Properties of Electromagnetic Wave Propagation Emerging in 2-D Periodic Plasma Structures

Abstract

Periodic structures in plasmas form unique dispersions of electromagnetic waves, which are examined in numerical calculation. Above electron plasma frequency, where waves equivalently propagate in dielectric media, plasma arrays with 2-D periodicity produce frequency regions of forbidden propagation, like band gaps in a photonic crystal. Below electron plasma frequency, where waves are usually forbidden to propagate due to cutoff phenomenon, bulk plasmas with periodic holes can become wave-propagating media in which localized surface modes play an important role. Such features give rise to concepts of dynamic wave controllers that change their inner electron density in time.