Transfer of microwave radiation in sliding mode plasma waveguides

A new regime of the sliding propagation of microwave radiation in plasma waveguides in atmospheric air has been investigated experimentally and theoretically. A plasma waveguide whose radius is much larger than the radiation wavelength has been created by the photoionization of an easily ionized impurity by the ultraviolet radiation of a KrF laser. The transfer of a 35.3-GHz microwave signal to a distance of 60 m has been demonstrated. The transfer mechanism is due to the total internal reflection of the wave on the optically less dense walls of the plasma waveguide.