An Introduction to Plasma Physics

2nd Edition - January 1, 1962
Author: W. B. Thompson
Language: English
eBook ISBN:
9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 1 - 6 4 7 7 - 9

An Introduction to Plasma Physics, Second Edition focuses on the processes, reactions, properties, and approaches involved in plasma physics, including kinetic theory, radiation,… Read more

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An Introduction to Plasma Physics, Second Edition focuses on the processes, reactions, properties, and approaches involved in plasma physics, including kinetic theory, radiation, particle motions, and oscillations. The publication first offers information on the introduction to plasma physics and basic properties of the equilibrium plasma. Discussions focus on the occurrence of plasma in nature, technological aspects of plasma physics, quasi-neutrality and plasma oscillations, transmission of electromagnetic radiation through plasma, production of plasma by shock waves, and degree of ionization in a thermal plasma. The text then ponders on arc plasma, magnetohydrodynamics, and magnetohydrodynamic stability. The manuscript takes a look at plasma dynamics and particle motions and kinetic theory of the plasma. Topics include dielectric behavior of a magnetized plasma, approximate treatment of particle orbits, formal derivation of the drifts, macroscopic effects of particle motion, consequences of the magnetic moment, and transport equations and hydrodynamics. Low-frequency oscillations of a uniform magnetized plasma, stability and perturbation theories, and approximate procedure for solving the transport equations are also discussed. The publication is a highly recommended source material for readers interested in plasma physics.

1. An Introduction to Plasma Physics

1. Introduction

2. The Occurrence of Plasma in Nature

3. Technological Aspects of Plasma Physics

2. Basic Properties of the Equilibrium Plasma

1. Quasi-Neutrality and Plasma Oscillations

2. The Transmission of Electromagnetic Radiation through Plasma

3. The Degree of Ionization in a Thermal Plasma

4. The Production of Plasma by Shock Waves

3. The Arc Plasma

1. The Diffusion Theory of the Positive Column

2. Sheath Formation

3. Ion Life

4. Magnetic Confinement—The Pinch Effect

4. Magnetohydrodynamics I

1. The Decay of Charge and Current in Conductors

2. The Equations of Magnetohydrodynamics

3. Immediate Consequences of the Magnetohydrodynamic Equations

4. Magnetohydrostatics

5. Magnetic Isolation of Plasma

6. Realization of Magnetic Confinement

5. Magnetohydrodynamics II

1. General Properties

2. Incompressible Flow—Particular Solutions

3. Alfvén Waves

4. Compressible Hartmann Flow and Some Applications

5. Magnetosonic Waves

6. Propagation from a Point Source

7. Shocks

6. Magnetohydrodynamic Stability

1. The Concept of Stability

2. Convective Instabilities

3. The Formal Theory of Plasma Stability

4. The Stability of Cylindrical Confined Plasmas

5. Surface Instabilities and Stability Criterion

6. Thermal Convection in a Magnetic Field

7. Plasma Dynamics and Particle Motions

1. The Dielectric Behaviour of a Magnetized Plasma

2. Mean Free Paths in a Plasma

3. The Approximate Treatment of Particle Orbits

4. A Formal Derivation of the Drifts

5. Macroscopic Effects of Particle Motion

6. Some Consequences of the Magnetic Moment

8. Kinetic Theory of the Plasma

1. Transport Equations and Hydrodynamics

2. The Dielectric Properties of a Hot Plasma in the Absence of a Magnetic Field

3. Screening and the Fokker-Planck Equation for a Plasma

4. Electrostatic Instabilities

5. Equilibrium in a Magnetic Field. Some Exact Solutions

6. The Approximation Procedure for Solving the Transport Equations

7. The Magnetohydrodynamic Equations

8. Equilibrium Theory

9. Perturbation Theory

10. Low-Frequency Oscillations of a Uniform Magnetized Plasma

11. Stability Theory

12. Further Developments of the Kinetic Theory

Appendixes

I. Some Formulae

II. Some Numbers

III. Some Functions

Problems

Answers to Problems

Author Index

Subject Index