Propagation of microwave pulses in a plasma waveguide created by ultraviolet laser radiation in the atmosphere

The process of microwave pulse propagation (λ = 8 mm) in a hollow plasma waveguide, created in air by UV radiation from a high-power KrF laser, is investigated by numerical simulation. It is shown that an effective confinement of microwave radiation in the waveguide is possible when the electron density in plasma walls of the waveguide is ≥1013 cm−3. The possibility of controlling the structure of the microwave beam by changing the aperture angle of the plasma cone of the waveguide is demonstrated. In particular, it is shown that the waveguide can be used as a concentrator of microwave radiation energy at specific distances from the waveguide output. An analogy between radiation propagation in a plasma waveguide and the quantum mechanical evolution of a particle's state in a potential well is discussed.