Introduction to Plasma Physics (eBook)

Front Cover 1
An Introduction to Plasma Physics 4
Copyright Page 5
Table of Contents 6
PREFACE 8
CHAPTER 1. AN INTRODUCTION TO PLASMA PHYSICS 10
1. INTRODUCTION 10
2. THE OCCURRENCE OF PLASMA IN NATURE 12
3. TECHNOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF PLASMA PHYSICS 14
BIBLIOGRAPHY 16
CHAPTER 2. BASIC PROPERTIES OF THE EQUILIBRIUM PLASMA 18
1. QUASI-NEUTRALITY AND PLASMA OSCILLATIONS 18
2. THE TRANSMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATIONTHROUGH PLASMA 22
3. THE DEGREE OF IONIZATION IN A THERMAL PLASMA 26
4. THE PRODUCTION OF PLASMA BY SHOCK WAVES 30
BIBLIOGRAPHY 33
CHAPTER 3. THE ARC PLASMA 34
1. THE DIFFUSION THEORY OF THE POSITIVE COLUMN 34
2. S H E A T H FORMATION 38
3. ION LIFE 41
4. MAGNETIC CONFINEMENT—THE PINCH EFFECT 46
BIBLIOGRAPHY 51
CHAPTER 4. MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS I 52
1. THE DECAY OF CHARGE AND CURRENT IN CONDUCTORS 52
2. THE EQUATIONS OF MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS 54
3. IMMEDIATE CONSEQUENCES OF THEMAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC EQUATIONS 57
4. MAGNETOHYDROSTATICS 62
5. MAGNETIC ISOLATION OF PLASMA 63
6. REALIZATION OF MAGNETIC CONFINEMENT 67
BIBLIOGRAPHY 72
CHAPTER 5. MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS II 74
1. GENERAL PROPERTIES 74
2. INCOMPRESSIBLE FLOW—PARTICULAR SOLUTIONS 75
3. ALFVÉN WAVES 78
4. COMPRESSIBLE HARTMANN FLOW, AND SOMEAPPLICATIONS 79
5. MAGNETOSONIC WAVES 88
6. PROPAGATION FROM A POINT SOURCE 94
7. SHOCKS 95
BIBLIOGRAPHY 104
CHAPTER 6. MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC STABILITY 106
1. THE CONCEPT OF STABILITY 106
2. CONVECTIVE INSTABILITIES 108
3. THE FORMAL THEORY OF PLASMA STABILITY 120
4. THE STABILITY OF CYLINDRICAL CONFINED PLASMAS 126
5. SURFACE INSTABILITIES AND STABILITY CRITERION 133
6. THERMAL CONVECTION IN A MAGNETIC FIELD 138
BIBLIOGRAPHY 146
CHAPTER 7. PLASMA DYNAMICS AND PARTICLE MOTIONS 148
1. THE DIELECTRIC BEHAVIOUR OF AMAGNETIZED PLASMA 148
2. MEAN FREE PATHS IN A PLASMA 159
3. THE APPROXIMATE TREATMENT OF PARTICLE ORBITS 162
4. A FORMAL DERIVATION OF THE DRIFTS 167
5. MACROSCOPIC EFFECTS OF PARTICLE MOTION 169
6. SOME CONSEQUENCES OF THE MAGNETIC MOMENT 174
7. A STABILITY PROBLEM 176
BIBLIOGRAPHY 177
CHAPTER 8. KINETIC THEORY OF THE PLASMA 178
1. TRANSPORT EQUATIONS AND HYDRODYNAMICS 178
2. THE DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF A HOT PLASMAIN THE ABSENCE OF A MAGNETIC FIELD 189
3. SCREENING AND THE FOKKER-PLANCK EQUATIONFOR A PLASMA 197
4. ELECTROSTATIC INSTABILITIES 202
5. EQUILIBRIUM IN A MAGNETIC FIELD.SOME EXACT SOLUTIONS 206
6. THE APPROXIMATION PROCEDURE FOR SOLVINGTHE TRANSPORT EQUATIONS 208
7. THE MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC EQUATIONS 217
8. EQUILIBRIUM THEORY 220
9. PERTURBATION THEORY 222
10. LOW-FREQUENCY OSCILLATIONS OF AUNIFORM MAGNETIZED PLASMA 223
11. STABILITY THEORY 227
12. FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS OF THE KINETIC THEORY 232
BIBLIOGRAPHY 245
APPENDIX 247
APPENDIX I. SOME FORMULAE 247
APPENDIX II. SOME NUMBERS 254
APPENDIX III. SOME FUNCTIONS 256
PROBLEMS 258
ANSWERS TO PROBLEMS 261
AUTHOR INDEX 276