Study of a longitudinally nonuniform plasma layer

Abstract

Transformation of the energy of surface waves in a plane plasma layer with a longitudinal irregularity of density is studied by the method of spectral decomposition. The total field is represented by an expansion in surface and pseudo-surface waves. A system of integro-differential equation for the coefficients of expansion determining the amplitudes of the transmitted, reflected, and scattered waves is obtained. It is shown that, in some special cases, this system of equations is reduced to a system of ordinary differential equations even if the plasma density rapidly changes. The fraction of the energy of surface waves that transforms into radiation at an acute angle with the layer can reach 50–60%.