Analytical simulation of microwave reflectometry of a plasma cylinder

An analytical solution of a time-dependent two-dimensional (2D) full-wave e quation is obtained for the case of microwave propagation in a plasma with axial symmetry. The 2D structure of the electromagnetic wave in a nonmagnet ized plasma (or an ordinary wave in a magnetized plasma) is studied for the general case of arbitrary time dependence of the incident wave emitted by the horn. The solutions cover the cases of conventional microwave reflectom etry as well as the ultrashort pulse reflectometry of fusion and processing plasma. Analytical expressions can be further applied to study plasma dens ity fluctuations as well as effects of plasma curvature and multidimensiona lity. The 2D plasma cylinder model is deemed by the authors to be more real istic as compared to the one-dimensional plasma slab model previously emplo yed in all the analytical and most numerical treatments since the plasma in the fusion toroidal devices, mirror machines, and plasma processing chambe rs can be considered axially symmetric on the scale relevant to microwave r eflectometry. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.