Nonlinear dispersion of electromagnetic transient signals propagating through a partially ionized plasma

The propagation of relatively high-power electromagnetic transient signals through a homogeneous, isotropic, and partially ionized plasma medium is discussed. In particular, the nonlinear dispersion of a transient RF signal caused by the dependence of the electron-neutral collision frequency on the electron temperature is studied. Valuable insights into the effects that plasma nonlinearities have on the distortion of a transient signal result from the numerical evaluation of the solution which is in integral form.