Surface Wave Echo in a Semi-Bounded Plasma

Abstract

Plasma echo theory is revisited to apply it to a semi-bounded plasma. Spatial echoes associated with plasma surface wave propagating in a semi-bounded plasma are investigated by calculating the second order electric field produced by external charges and satisfying the boundary conditions at the interface. The boundary conditions are two-fold: the specular reflection condition and the electric boundary condition. The echo spots are determined in terms of the perpendicular coordinate to the interface and the parallel coordinate along which the wave propagates. This improves the earlier works in which only the perpendicular coordinate is determined. In contrast with the echo in an infinite medium, echoes in a bounded plasma can occur at various spots. The diversity of echo occurrence spots is due to the discontinuity of the electric field at the interface that satisfies the specular reflection boundary condition. Physically, the diversity appears to be owing to the reflections of the waves from the interface.