This book is intended as an introduction to plasma physics at a level suitable for advanced undergraduates or beginning postgraduate students in physics, applied mathematics or astrophysics. The main prerequisite is a knowledge of electromagnetism and of the associated mathematics of vector calculus. SI units are used throughout. There is still a tendency amongst some plasma physics researchers to· cling to C.g.S. units, but it is the author's view that universal adoption of SI units, which have been the internationally agreed standard since 1960, is to be encouraged. After a short introductory chapter, the basic properties of a plasma con cerning particle orbits, fluid theory, Coulomb collisions and waves are set out in Chapters 2-5, with illustrations drawn from problems in nuclear fusion research and space physics. The emphasis is on the essential physics involved and (he theoretical and mathematical approach has been kept as simple and intuitive as possible. An attempt has been made to draw attention to areas of current research and to present plasma physics as a developing subject with many areas ofuncertainty, and not as something to be set forth on 'tablets of stone'.
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ISBN-13
978-94-010-9655-3 (9789401096553)
DOI
10.1007/978-94-010-9655-3
Schweitzer Klassifikation
1. Introduction.- 1.1 Nature and occurrence of plasmas.- 1.2 Controlled nuclear fusion.- 1.3 Fluid and kinetic descriptions of a plasma.- 1.4 The Debye length.- 2. Motion of a charged particle.- 2.1 Introduction.- 2.2 Motion in a uniform magnetic field.- 2.3 Guiding centre drifts.- 2.4 Adiabatic invariants: the magnetic moment.- 2.5 The magnetization current.- 2.6 Some applications.- Problems.- 3. Low-frequency phenomena.- 3.1 Introduction.- 3.2 Magnetohydrodynamics.- 3.3 MHD equilibria.- 3.4 Stability of MHD equilibria.- 3.5 MHD waves.- 3.6 Coulomb collisions.- 3.7 The Fokker-Plank equation.- 3.8 Relation between kinetic and fluid theories.- 3.9 Transport coefficients.- Problems.- 4. Waves.- 4.1 Introduction.- 4.2 The two-fluid equations.- 4.3 Waves in a cold plasma.- 4.4 Wave energy density.- 4.5 Waves in an inhomogeneous plasma.- 4.6 Cut-off and resonance.- 4.7 Propagation of electron cyclotron waves in a tokamak.- 4.8 Tunnelling and resonant absorption.- Problems.- 5. Kinetic theory of waves.- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.2 The Vlasov equation.- 5.3 The linearized Vlasov equation and Landau damping.- 5.4 The plasma dispersion function.- 5.5 Ion sound waves.- 5.6 Waves in a magnetized plasma.- 5.7 Bernstein modes.- 5.8 Cyclotron damping.- 5.9 Microinstabilities.- 5.10 Absolute and convective instabilities.- Problems.- 6. Nonlinear effects.- 6.1 Introduction.- 6.2 Quasilinear theory.- 6.3 Wave-wave interactions.- 6.4 Parametric instabilities.- 6.5 The ponderomotive force.- 6.6 Modulation and filamentation.- 6.7 Computational methods-fluid codes.- 6.8 Computational methods-particle codes.- 6.9 Concluding remarks.- Problems.- 7. Diagnostic techniques.- 7.1 Introduction.- 7.2 Probes.- 7.3 Radiation emission.- 7.4 Radiation scattering and interferometry.- 7.5 Particlemeasurements.- Problems.- 8. Application to fusion and space research.- 8.1 Introduction.- 8.2 Tokamaks and other toroidal devices.- 8.3 Other magnetic confinement systems.- 8.4 Inertial confinement.- 8.5 The Earth's magnetosphere.- 8.6 The physics of the Sun and stars.- 8.7 Pulsars.- 8.8 Cosmic ray acceleration.- 8.9 Plasma physics applied to particle accelerators.- 8.10 Conclusion.- Further reading.
