On the spectra of natural waves in a plasma waveguide in the presence of collisions

Abstract

The dispersion characteristics of surface and evanescent waves in metal-dielectric-plasma-dielectric-metal structure in the presence of collisions are investigated analytically and numer ically. In the absence of absorption, when the electron density passes through the doubled critical value, a rearrangement of the eigenwave structure, associated with the appearance of surface waves, occurs. A rearrangement also occurs in an absorbing plasma, but the numbers of reconnecting modes depend on the size of the structure and the ratio of the electron collision frequency to the field frequency. Correct consideration of this process is necessary for the analytical analysis of the field structure in plasma reactors, the design of plasma antennas, and the solution of other problems of plasma electrodynamics.