Steady magnetic-field generation via surface-plasma-wave excitation.

The possibility of inducing a magnetic field via surface plasma-wave excitation is investigated with a simple nonrelativistic hydrodynamic model. A static magnetic field is predicted at the plasma surface, scaling with the square of the surface-wave field amplitude, and the influence of the electron plasma density is studied. In the case of resonant surface-wave excitation by laser this result can be applied to low intensities such that the electron quiver velocity in the field of the surface wave is less than its thermal velocity.