Experimental studies of the interaction of microwaves with mixture burning plasmas in the atmosphere

A kind of chemical mixture is designed and prepared. With the method of thermodynamics, the average electron density of the plasma generated by burning the mixture is calculated. The reflection and attenuation of the microwaves, in the band of 2~15 GHz, by the plasma are measured. The results of measurements indicate that the plasma can absorb the energies of the microwaves in a broad band. The average absorption is above 25 dB, but the reflection is too weak to be distinguished from the background noise. Moreover, theoretical discussion indicates that the electron-neutral particle collision is the major factor that results in the absorption in the wide band.