Excitation of slow EM waves in a waveguide having a thin, annular plasma sheet

A thin, annular plasma sheet in a waveguide slows down the phase velocity of electromagnetic modes in a plasma density window for frequencies below the electron cyclotron frequency via Cerenkov interaction. At lower densities, the plasma is not effective enough to reduce the phase velocity of the EM wave below c. At higher densities the plasma expels the radiation field, leading to enhancement of phase velocity. The lowest mode having azimuthal number l=0 is most unstable. The radial mode having amplitude maximum at r=a, viz the plasma boundary, has the largest growth rate