Self-focusing of surface waves in a cylindrical plasma waveguide

Self-consistent nonlinear changes of plasma parameters and characteristics of electromagnetic guided waves are studied with regard to the effect of self- focusing and waveguided channel formation in a cylindrical plasma waveguide. Besides the nonlinearity due to the ponderomotive force action usually involved, ionization nonlinearity specified for different regimes of particle loss mechanisms is considered. An azimuthally symmetric electromagnetic surface wave is the guided mode that forms and sustains the wave channel.The nonlinear dispersion law and the nonlinear changes in the wave field distribution and power flow are obtained, describing the effect of the self-focusing of the waves under conditions of weak nonlinearity.