Singularities of ionization-field instability and structurization of plasma of high-pressure non-self-maintained free-localized discharge in the field of a quasi-monochromatic microwave

A self-consistent set of the equations for the electromagnetic field and ba lance of plasma concentration in view of ambipolar diffusion and the equati on for the fast oscillating component of electron motion in a variable fiel d are used to investigate the linear stage of ionization-field instability of the plasma of high-pressure non-self-maintained discharge in the approxi mation of unbounded plasma in a plane quasi-monochromatic microwave packet. Green's function is constructed. In the simplest one-dimensional formulati on of the problem, assuming that all parameters of the plasma and field var y only in the direction of propagation of the wave packet, the saddle point approximation is used to derive the dominant terms of asymptotic expansion of Green's function in two limiting cases; namely, for t --> infinity, \z - z(0)\ --> 0, and for t greater than or equal to 0, \z - z(0)\ --> infinit y. It is demonstrated that, contrary to the existing notion of insignifican t importance of ionization-field instability in a high-pressure plasma, thi s instability may produce a high rate of development of perturbations in su ch a plasma and have a decisive effect on the structure of plasma inhomogen eity being formed. A method is suggested of stabilizing ionization-field in stability of a microwave plasma by selecting a proper shape of the wave pac ket, including an increase in the effective width of the frequency band emi tted by the source.