Resonant interaction of an electromagnetic wave with an inhomogeneous plasma slab

Resonant interaction at oblique incidence of an electromagnetic wave on an inhomogeneous plasma slab is studied. The time evolution of this interaction is solved numerically from two-fluid equations, adiabatic equation for electron pressure and from Maxwell equations. It is shown that the electromagnetic energy of an incident wave is transformed both into the heat energy and into the energy of plasma oscillations in the direction of density gradient. The distribution of the transformed energy between the heat energy and the energy of plasma oscillations is strongly dependent on the plasma temperature. The ratio of heat energy to the energy of plasma oscillations is growing with growing temperature. The plasma oscillations are generated by magnetic induction of the penetrating wave. In a cold plasma they are generated especially in the overdense region and their frequency is equal to local plasma frequency. The electric field in the direction of plasma gradient has a form of a wave packet whose envelope reaches a maximum at resonance. The characteristic wavelength in the wave packet decreases and the amplitude of the packet increases with the time.