Electron cyclotron resonance near the axis of the gas-dynamic trap

Propagation of an extraordinary electromagnetic wave in the vicinity of electron cyclotron resonance surface in an open linear trap is studied analytically, taking into account inhomogeneity of the magnetic field in paraxial approximation. Ray trajectories are derived from a reduced dispersion equation that makes it possible to avoid the difficulty associated with a transition from large propagation angles to the case of strictly longitudinal propagation. Our approach is based on the theory, originally developed by Zvonkov and Timofeev [Sov. J. Plasma Phys. 14, 743 (1988)], who used the paraxial approximation for the magnetic field strength, but did not consider the slope of the magnetic field lines, which led to considerable error, as has been recently noted by Gospodchikov and Smolyakova [Plasma Phys. Rep. 37, 768–774 (2011)]. We have found ray trajectories in analytic form and demonstrated that the inhomogeneity of both the magnetic field strength and the field direction can qualitatively change the pi...