Reflection Of Electromagnetic Radiation From A Non-uniform Plasma Slab At An Arbitrary Angle Of Incidence

In this paper, we study the transmission, reflection, and absorption of microwave radiation near the electron cyclotron frequency by a non-uniform plasma slab. Our plasma model is a cold, steady state, weakly ionized slab with a uniform background magnetic field parallel to the surface. The plasma density profile is parabolic with a maximum at the center. This geometry is intended to approximate the cylindrical plasma column which is the subject of our experimental measurements. We find that a single pass through such a plasma provides several tens of dB of attenuation across the slab diameter, and in the reflected signal. The transmission, reflection, and absorption depend on the magnetic field, number density, collision frequency, and the angle of incidence. These parametric dependences are calculated for our model from cold plasma theory. These computer simulations are compared with experimental measurements made previously and more recently, on a plasma generated by a classical Penning discharge, using a network analyzer as a diagnostic instrument.