Effect of switching a magnetoplasma medium on a travelling wave: conservation law for frequencies of newly created waves

Summary form only given. Preliminary studies have shown that the effect of the switching-on of a magnetoplasma medium on a traveling wave is the creation of new waves (some transmitted and some reflected) whose frequencies (ω) are different from the incident wave frequency (ω₀). A general technique for determining the new frequencies was explored. A conservation law that the product ωn, where n is the refractive index, is conserved across a time discontinuity was derived. If the original medium is free space, this law may be stated as: ω²n²=ω₀² . Its application was illustrated by considering two cases of propagation (longitudinal and transverse) in a switched magnetoplasma medium when the plasma has a single species of positive ions