Electromagnetic waves in a plasma waveguide

A detailed analysis of wave dispersion in a plasma-filled waveguide in a finite external magnetic field is presented. The mutual influence of modes on their dispersion curves is treated. A new phenomenon is demonstrated: the coupling of the waveguide EH and HE modes and the parallel appearance of a backward wave. The values of Ω and ωp (the cyclotron and plasma frequencies) and R (the waveguide radius) at which coupling between arbitrary EH and HE modes becomes possible are found. The dispersion relations and field distributions of two new mode families that arise owing to the presence of the anisotropic plasma are analysed. (author)