Anomalous Diffraction in Cold Magnetized Plasma

Cold magnetized plasma possesses an anisotropic permittivity tensor with a unique dispersion relation that for adequate electron density and magnetic field results in anomalous diffraction of a right-hand circularly polarized beam. In this work, we demonstrate experimentally anomalous diffraction of a microwave beam in plasma. Additionally, decreasing the electron density enables observation of the transition of the material from a hyperbolic to a standard material. Manipulation of the control parameters will enable plasma to serve as a reconfigurable metamaterial-like medium.