Cross-Field Acceleration by Elliptically Polarized Electromagnetic Wave

Coherent interaction between charged particles and an elliptically polarized electromagnetic wave propagating across a static magnetic field B 0 is investigated analytically and numerically. The particle can be unlimitedly accelerated along the wave front on a plane across the field B 0 . The trapping condition is obtained that depends on the polarization angle θ of the wave, the ratio E 1 / B 0 and the phase velocity V p where E 1 is the magnitude of the electric field of the wave. Once an L-polarized wave with θ is found to satisfy the condition, an R-polarized wave with π-θ automatically satisfies it provided E 1 / B 0 and V p are common to the both cases. Some features of an extraordinary wave which is a plausible candidate of the driving waves in a magnetized plasma are also discussed.