Interaction of Microwaves in Gaseous Plasmas Immersed in Magnetic Fields

The phenomenon of radio frequency electromagnetic wave interaction in gaseous plasmas is reviewed. The application of microwave interaction to the study of plasmas immersed in magnetic fields is discussed. Attention is focused on the effects produced in such plasmas when one of the simultaneously propagating microwaves is in electron-cyclotron resonance. It is demonstrated that, for relatively modest amplitudes of the resonating wave, the kinetic energy of the electrons increases considerably, which in turn affects 1) the electron collision frequency and 2) the magnetic field control of the plasma confinement.