Reflection, transmission, and absorption of circularly polarized electromagnetic waves in a moving collisional magnetized plasma slab with inhomogeneous collision frequency and density

Abstract

In this paper, microwave propagation through an inhomogeneous drifting collisional magnetized plasma slab is theoretically analyzed. The electron density and collision frequency have sinusoidal distribution. The electromagnetic wave has right-handed circular polarization and normally incident on the plasma surface. The reflectance, transmittance, and absorbance coefficients of this inhomogeneous plasma have been calculated by dividing the total slab into several sub-slabs so that electron density and collisional frequency parameters are considered constant in every sub-slab. Here the external magnetic field is uniform and its direction is along the inhomogeneity and perpendicular to surfaces of the plasma slab. Moreover, the plasma layer is moving with a non-relativistic constant velocity along the external magnetic field. The effects of frequency of the incident wave, cyclotron frequency, collision frequency, and velocity of the slab on the transmission, absorption, and reflection of the electromagnetic wave from the plasma layer are simulated. Results show that in this inhomogeneous magnetized plasma slab, reflection and absorption of the wave can be controlled by the external magnetic field and collision frequency. In low collision frequencies, the plasma slab behaves like an opaque or transparent medium when the frequency of the incident wave is lower or higher than the plasma frequency, respectively, whereas by increasing the collisional effects, the transmission of the high-frequency electromagnetic wave decreases and the significant part of the wave energy is absorbed by the plasma medium. Furthermore, the electromagnetic wave transmitted from this inhomogeneous slab can almost be vanished by adjusting the strength of the external magnetic field.