A Probe Method for Microwave Diagnostics of Pulsed Plasma

Abstract

Abstract—An original method for microwave diagnostics of pulsed plasma is proposed and tested. The object of the diagnostics is a shock-compressed plasma layer that is formed when a high-speed plasma jet created by a magnetic-plasma compressor is decelerated by a barrier. The essence of this method consists in placing a small resonant cavity on the plasma-jet path. This cavity is simultaneously a barrier and a diagnostic tool. The plasma parameters (the electron concentration and the electron-collision frequency) are calculated from the measured values of the probing microwave signal power transmitted through the resonant cavity and reflected from it.