Microwave Propagation in Hot Magneto-Plasmas

The indices of refraction of circularly polarized microwave signals propagating along the magnetic field direction within a high-temperature ionized gas are computed by use of a new conductivity tensor. It is found that phase changes and Landau diffusion damping resulting from electron drift become important for certain ranges of the parameters. These effects are enhanced by the resonance that occurs near the electron-cyclotron frequency. The refractive indices depend sensitively upon electron density and temperature.