Effects of Nonuniform Moving Plasma on the Polarization Properties of Obliquely Incident EM Waves

The effects of nonuniform moving plasma on the polarization properties of electromagnetic (EM) waves were theoretically studied. Taking the L -band right-hand circularly polarized (RHCP) wave as an example, based on the nonuniform moving plasma slab moving perpendicularly to the incident wave, the relationship between the polarization properties of the transmitted wave and the normalized velocity of the nonuniform plasma slab was analyzed. The results indicate that the polarization state of the transmitted wave is closely related to the normalized velocity of the nonuniform plasma slab. When the plasma slab approaches to the incident wave, its influence on the polarization properties is greater than that away from the incident wave. In addition, when the change of the polarization state reaches the maximum, the corresponding normalized velocity is mainly determined by the incident angle and the collision frequency. Various interesting features regarding polarization properties were obtained. The results are very important for applications in space exploration.