[Table of Contents]

Plasma and Fusion Research

Volume 8, 1406167 (2013)

Regular Articles

Overdense Microwave Plasma Generation in a Negative-Permeability Space
Osamu SAKAI, Satoshi IIO and Yoshihiro NAKAMURA
Department of Electronic Science and Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan
(Received 28 May 2013 / Accepted 11 September 2013 / Published 27 December 2013)

Abstract

High-power electromagnetic waves propagating in a negative-permeability space were investigated theoretically and experimentally, and they generated overdense plasmas successfully. Theoretical analysis predicted that high-density plasmas with negative permittivity can form via saddle-node bifurcations within an adequate electric field. To confirm theoretical predictions, using metamaterials with negative permeability achieved by magnetic resonances, we injected microwaves with several hundreds of watt into a waveguide filled with a low-pressure discharge gas. Langmuir probe measurement revealed that a generated plasma is well beyond the cutoff density for the wave frequency of 2.45 GHz, and indicated transition between positive-permittivity (low-electron-density) and negative-permittivity (overdense) states.

Keywords

microwave plasma, metamaterial, permeability, refractive index, bifurcation

DOI: 10.1585/pfr.8.1406167

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This paper may be cited as follows:

Osamu SAKAI, Satoshi IIO and Yoshihiro NAKAMURA, Plasma Fusion Res. 8, 1406167 (2013).