Introduction to Plasma Physics: With Space, Laboratory and Astrophysical Applications

Description

Introducing basic principles of plasma physics and their applications to space, laboratory and astrophysical plasmas, this new edition provides updated material throughout. Topics covered include single-particle motions, kinetic theory, magnetohydrodynamics, small amplitude waves in hot and cold plasmas, and collisional effects. New additions include the ponderomotive force, tearing instabilities in resistive plasmas and the magnetorotational instability in accretion disks, charged particle acceleration by shocks, and a more in-depth look at nonlinear phenomena. A broad range of applications are explored: planetary magnetospheres and radiation belts, the confinement and stability of plasmas in fusion devices, the propagation of discontinuities and shock waves in the solar wind, and analysis of various types of plasma waves and instabilities that can occur in planetary magnetospheres and laboratory plasma devices. With step-by-step derivations and self-contained introductions to mathematical methods, this book is ideal as an advanced undergraduate to graduate-level textbook, or as a reference for researchers. Contents Preface 1 Introduction 2 Characteristic Parameters of a Plasma 2.1 Number Density and Temperature 2.2 Debye Length 2.3 Plasma Frequency 2.4 Cyclotron Frequency 2.5 Collision Frequency 2.6 Number of Electrons per Debye Cube 2.7 The de Broglie Wavelength and Quantum Effects References Further Reading 3 Single-Particle Motions 3.1 Motion in a Static Uniform Magnetic Field 3.2 Motion in Static and Uniform Electric and Magnetic Fields 3.3 Gradient and Curvature Drifts 3.4 Motion in a Magnetic Mirror Field 3.5 Motion in a Time Varying Magnetic Field 3.6 Polarization Drift 3.7 Ponderomotive Force 3.8 Adiabatic Invariants 3.9 The Hamiltonian Method 3.10 Hamiltonian Chaos References Further Reading 4 Waves in a Cold Plasma 4.1 Fourier Representation of Waves 4.2 General Form of the Dispersion Relation 4.3 Waves in a Cold Uniform Unmagnetized Plasma 4.4 Waves in a Cold Uniform Magnetized Plasma 4.5 Ray Paths in Inhomogeneous Plasmas References Further Reading 5 Kinetic Theory and the Moment Equations 5.1 The Distribution Function 5.2 The Boltzmann and Vlasov Equations 5.3 Solutions Based on Constants of the Motion 5.4 The Moment Equations 5.5 Electron and Ion Pressure Waves 5.6 Collisional Drag Force 5.7 Ambipolar Diffusion References Further Reading 6 Magnetohydrodynamics 6.1 The Basic Equations of MHD 6.2 Magnetic Pressure 6.3 Magnetic Field Convection and Diffusion 6.4 Conservation Relations in Ideal MHD 6.5 Magnetohydrodynamic Waves 6.6 Validity of Resistive MHD Equations References Further Reading 7 MHD Equilibria and Stability 7.1 Magnetostatic Equilibria 7.2 Magnetohydrodynamic Equilibria 7.3 Stability of Ideal Magnetostatic Equilibria 7.4 Stability of Ideal Magnetohydrodynamic Equilibria 7.5 Resistive Instabilities 7.6 Magnetic Reconnection References Further Reading 8 Discontinuities and Shock Waves 8.1 The MHD Jump Conditions 8.2 Classification of Discontinuities 8.3 Shock Waves 8.4 Charged Particle Acceleration by MHD Shocks References Further Reading 9 Electrostatic Waves in a Hot Unmagnetized Plasma 9.1 The Vlasov Approach 9.2 The Landau Approach 9.3 The Plasma Dispersion Function 9.4 The Dispersion Relation for a Multi-component Plasma 9.5 Stability References Further Reading 10 Waves in a Hot Magnetized Plasma 10.1 Linearization of the Vlasov Equation 10.2 Electrostatic Waves 10.3 Electromagnetic Waves References Further Reading 11 Nonlinear Effects 11.1 Quasi-linear Theory 11.2 Wave–Wave Interactions 11.3 Langmuir Wave Solitons 11.4 Stationary Nonlinear Electrostatic Potentials References Further Reading 12 Collisional Processes 12.1 Binary Coulomb Collisions 12.2 Importance of Small-Angle Collisions 12.3 The Fokker–Planck Equation 12.4 Conductivity of a Fully Ionized Plasma 12.5 Collision Operator for Maxwellian Distributions of Electrons and Ions References Further Reading Appendix A: Symbols Appendix B: Useful Trigonometric Identities Appendix C: Vector Differential Operators Appendix D: Vector Calculus Identities Index