Wave Propagation along a Warm Non-uniform Plasma Column†

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Abstract
Tha dipolar resonances that occur when an axially uniform plasma column is subjected to a transverse r.f. electric field have received much study, and can be predicted accurately from a hydrodynamic description of the plasma perturbation and knowledge of the transverse olectron density profile. These frequencies may be interpreted aa the cut-off's of series of modes propagating along the column. In this paper such propagation is studied in infinite planar geometry for a number of basic cases. Dispersion curves, and descriptions of the plasma parameters at cut-off are given for modes with axially symmetric and axially asymmetric potential distributions in three different geometries : first for plasma filling the plates, and then for plasma separated from the plates either by one or two dielectric layers. The feasibility of observing these waves experimentally is discussed, and experimental evidence for their propagation is cited.