Hot Electrons Produced by Resonance Absorption in a Microwave-Plasma Interaction

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Abstract
The enhanced electric fields and suprathermal electron production due to resonance absorption of a microwave beam in an inhomogeneous plasma are investigated. At unexpectedly low driver-field amplitudes, the enhanced field amplitude and associated electron acceleration are apparently limited by wave breaking rather than convection. In the wave-breaking regime, a simple cold-plasma model accurately predicts many of the results, including the observed increase in wave-breaking time, and decrease in hot-electron energy obtained upon use of a finite-bandwidth driver.