Effect of magnetic field on the thermal nonlinearity of surface waves in plasma-metal structures

A study is made into the effect of the nonlinear mechanism of plasma electron heating on the dispersion properties of potential surface waves propagating along the interface between a metal and finite-pressure magnetoactive plasma. An external steady magnetic field is directed normally to the interface. Different mechanisms of electron energy loss are treated in a weak heating approximation. The energy balance equation is used to determine the spatial distribution of the plasma electron temperature under conditions of nonlocal heating. The effect of the plasma parameters on the nonlinear shift of the wavenumber and on the spatial damping factor of surface waves is investigated. The results obtained are valid for both semiconductor and gaseous plasmas. (C) 2004 MAIK "Nauka / Interperiodica".