On diagnostics of a statistically inhomogeneous plasma by means of modulated electromagnetic waves

The problem of correlation between the components of a modulated electromagnetic wave, which has passed through a layer of a magnetoactive statistically inhomogeneous plasma, is considered. It is assumed that the nonuniformities of the refractive index are due to inhomogeneities of the plasma electron density. The correlation between the components of the modulated wave is investigated by using the self-correlation of the linear combination of the phases of these components. This combination is invariant to the beginning of the measuring time. It is shown that the dispersion of the phase invariant is determined by the spectrum of plasma pulsations and modulation frequencies of the probing wave. Therefore, by measuring the variation in dispersion of the phase invariant on the modulation frequency variation it is possibble to determine the spectrum of the wave numbers of plasma pulsations. Their frequency spectrum may be studied simultaniously