Experimental Study of the Upper Hybrid Echo in Plasmas

Abstract

The two-pulse stimulated radiation of dense (10^9/cm^3 < ne ≤ 10^(11)/cm^3) nonuniform neon and argon afterglow plasma columns longitudinally immersed in a magnetic field is studied. The magnetic field is very homogeneous over the plasma volume (ΔB/B ~ .01%). If the S-band microwave pulses' center frequency is such that they resonantly excite a narrow band of plasma upper hybrid oscillations close to the maximum upper hybrid frequency of the column, strong two- pulse echoes are observed. This new echo process is called the upper hybrid echo. The echo spectrum, echo power and echo width were studied as a function of the pulse peak power P, pulse separation τ, relative density (ω_(po)/ω)^2, and relative cyclotron frequency (ω_(c)/ω). The complex but systematic variations of the echo properties as a function of the above-mentioned parameters are found to be in qualitative agreement with those predicted by a theory of Gould and Blum based upon a simple nonuniform unidimensional cold plasma slab model. The possible effects of electron neutral and electron ion collisions not retained in the theoretical model are discussed. The existence of a new type of cyclotron echo, different from that of Hill and Kaplan and not predicted by the Blum and Gould model is documented. It is believed to be also of a collective effect nature and can probably be described in terms of a theory retaining some hot plasma effects.

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