Perturbation Theory of Microwave Interaction with Gyroelectric Plasmas

Abstract

As a means of determining the effects of a uniform but arbitrarily directed magnetic field on cylindrical and spherical wave propagation in a cold, homogeneous plasma, we regard the magnetic field as a small perturbation. Assuming an expansion for the electric and magnetic fields in powers of the parameter iω_g/ω, where ω_g is the static gyrofrequency of the electron, we solve for the linear terms. This solution is carried out under the assumption that the fields are known for the limit of vanishing static magnetic field. The first‐order theory is then applied to cylindrical and spherical systems. When the approximate solution for the axially magnetized column is compared with the exact result, agreement is obtained provided that the static magnetic field is weak, as expected.