A plasma of the positive column of Cs-Xe DC gas discharge as a fast highly nonlinear volumetric medium for microwaves

Summary form only given, as follows. Microwave nonlinear quasi-optical devices such as phase-conjugation mirrors, passive self-limiters, power-controlled switches, etc. are of great interest in many fields, for instance, radar, navigation, microwave communications, beamed microwave power transmission. However, the lack, of appropriate uniform nonlinear medium for microwaves with high nonlinear high-frequency refractive index and fast response time is considered a bottleneck in achieving potential of the field. A plasma of the positive column of DC gas discharge in a Cs-Xe mixture was shown to provide an effective volumetric nonlinear medium for microwaves. In such a gas-discharge plasma under xenon pressure 30 Torr and electron density N/sub e/>10/sup 12/ cm/sup -3/, uniform spatial distribution of electron density with sizes much larger than the wavelength of microwaves was achieved. Using a 35 GHz microwave beam with intensities up to 0.25 W/cm/sup 2/, it has been found that the plasma of the positive column Cs-Xe discharge has a very high nonlinear refractive index, n/sub 2/=-0.1 cm/sup 2//W, and a fast response time of about several microseconds.