Radiation of ion acoustic waves in a dispersive positive ion-negative ion plasma

Experimental results that illustrate some properties of the radiation of a longitudinal ion acoustic wave launched from a solid metal disk antenna inserted in a dispersive positive-ion-negative-ion plasma are presented. The negative ions replace the free electrons in the plasma and increase the electron Debye length, hence increasing the dispersion of the plasma. It is observed that the radiation of waves in a dispersive media is significantly more complicated than in a nondispersive media. It is not possible to draw one universal radiation pattern for the radiation of the waves in this case, since so many frequency components are present in the wave and they change as the wave evolves