TUNNELING VERSUS ABSORPTION IN X-MODE TRANSMISSION THROUGH CYCLOTRON LAYERS

Although proven analytically from mode conversion theory that the tran smission coefficient through a cyclotron harmonic layer is independent of absorption, the result seems so nonintuitive that another way of s eeing this result is given. In this paper, the transmission coefficien t is deduced from the usual integral of the imaginary part of k over t he layer, both with and without absorption. The fact that these both g ive exactly the same result, which agrees with the analytical result f rom mode conversion theory, shows that the absorption plays no role wh atsoever in the transmission coefficient. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.