Three-dimensional FDTD simulation of electromagnetic wave transformation in a dynamic inhomogeneous magnetized plasma

A three-dimensional (3-D) finite-difference time domain (FDTD) algorithm is developed to study the transformation of an electromagnetic wave by a dynamic (time-varying) inhomogeneous magnetized plasma medium. The current density vector is positioned at the center of the Yee cube to accommodate the anisotropy of the plasma medium due to the presence of a static magnetic field. An appropriate time-stepping algorithm is used to obtain accurate solutions for arbitrary values of the collision frequency and the electron cyclotron frequency. The technique is illustrated by calculating the frequency shifts in a cavity due to a switched magnetoplasma medium with a time varying and space-varying electron density profile.