Hysteresis in the presence of electron-cyclotron resonance

A method of determining the nonlinear interaction of microwaves with a magnetoactive lowpressure plasma is presented. It is shown by solving simultaneously the problems of the propagation of electromagnetic waves, the balance of charged particles, and the energy balance that near a critical value of the constant magnetic induction the character of the interaction of the wave and the plasma changes substantially: For magnetic fields above the critical field a much stronger interaction is observed, for which the penetration depth of the incident wave into the plasma increases. An investigation of the strong interaction regime showed the existence of hysteresis, which is accompanied by an abrupt transition from one standing-wave mode in plasma to another. It is shown that virtually complete absorption of the wave is possible. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 69, 31–37 (December 1999)