Fundamental limitations on excitation of a surface wave on a plasma column

Interest in plasma antenna technology has recently been stimulated by applications from a variety of fields. Of particular interest is the case of a plasma column excited below ω_ρ, the plasma resonance frequency, which leads to negative permittivity and permits the propagation of a surface wave along the column. We present a condensed analysis of the plasma radiation and power launching constraints on excitation of a surface wave on a plasma column.