Wave Propagation in a Cylindrical Electron Cyclotron Resonance Plasma Chamber

Wave propagation characteristics in a cylindrical chamber filled with uniform magnetized plasma are investigated numerically. When the magnetic field strength is greater than the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) condition and the plasma frequency is higher than the wave frequency, not only right-hand (n=1) but also left-hand (n=-1) waves can propagate in the plasma chamber. Moreover, in a small-radius cylindrical chamber in which no modes or only one-mode wave can propagate, several modes waves can propagate when it is filled with a plasma having an anisotropic dielectric property. This tendency is probably due to the high conductivity of the magnetized plasma along the magnetic lines of force and to the dielectric property perpendicular to the lines. A peculiar mode of a right-hand (n=1) wave where the wave has a localized electric field at the plasma chamber surface is shown to occur.