Sheath Waves on Conductors in Plasma

Summary form only given. The ion sheath is the familiar region of low electron density that exists adjacent to any material surface immersed in a plasma. Less familiar is the fact that, when the material surface is a conductor, the sheath becomes a channel for guided waves propagating parallel to the surface. In the frequency domain, these "sheath waves" have remarkable properties of low-attenuation passbands, high-attenuation stopbands, and striking effects caused by plasma anisotropy. This paper reviews recent progress in sheath wave research, with emphasis on ionospheric tether experiments and implications for large structures in space.