Ion acoustic wave generation by a standing electromagnetic field in a subcritical plasma

An electromagnetic wave ( f = 9 GHz, Pi = 150 kW, τ = 1.5 μs) is launched into a subcritical argon plasma (n e ≃1011 cm-3, P0 ≃ 5 × 10-4 Torr), resulting in a standing wave. The associated ponderomotive force generates an ion acoustic wave with a wave vector equal to twice the electromagnetic one and with a frequency satisfying the usual dispersion relation (fA ≃ 150 kHz). The main features of the ion acoustic wave, as measured in this 3D experiment, agree with a simple theory. However, varying the plasma density, the ion acoustic spectrum reveals a non-linear feature, i.e. the existence of subharmonics.