The text presented here is an extended english version of a report by
the authors which appeared in April 1983 at the Institute of Cosmical
Research of the Academy of Sciences of the GDR in German. It covers
several selected topics on nonlinear wave-plasma interactio, ll in a
treatment based on a hydrodynamic plasma description. Thus, no attempt
has been made to give a comprehensive view on all aspects of the
interaction of strong electromagnetic waves with plasmas. The text is
partly introductory and presents partly current results. The authors
hope that it will be of interest to students and scientists not only in
the field of plasma physics. The authors thank Akademie-Verlag, Berlin
and Birkhiiuser-Verlag, Basel for their encouragement to prepare the
English manuscript and Mrs. Ch. Geier for carefully typing the final
off-set version. Klaus Baumgiirtel Konrad Sauer Berlin, in April 1986
Contents Preface 5 Introduction 9 General References 13 Part I Basic
equations 15 1 Hydrodynamic plasma description 15 2 Basic equations for
high-frequency processes 19 3 Basic equations for low-frequency
processes 25 References 28 Part n Elements of linear wave propagation 31
4 Linear wave propagation in plasmas 31 4. 1 Linear wave equation 4. 2
Penetration of a plasma by an electromagnetic wave 34 4. 3 Resonance
absorption 38 References 43 5 Structure resonances 45 5. 1 Resonances at
s-polarization 46 56 5. 2 Sl'l'face wave resonances 5.