Introduction to plasma physics : with space and laboratory applications

Introduction to Plasma Physics......Page 1
Contents......Page 5
Preface......Page 7
Introduction......Page 8
Number density and temperature......Page 10
Debye length......Page 11
Plasma frequency......Page 15
Cyclotron frequency......Page 16
Collision frequency......Page 17
Number of electrons per Debye cube......Page 19
The de Broglie wavelength and quantum effects......Page 21
Representative plasma parameters......Page 22
Motion in a static uniform magnetic field......Page 26
Motion in perpendicular electric and magnetic fields......Page 29
Gradient and curvature drifts......Page 33
Motion in a magnetic mirror field......Page 40
Motion in a time varying magnetic field......Page 46
Adiabatic invariants......Page 47
The Hamiltonian method......Page 59
Chaotic orbits......Page 66
Fourier representation of waves......Page 74
General form of the dispersion relation......Page 82
Waves in a cold uniform unmagnetized plasma......Page 84
Waves in a cold uniform magnetized plasma......Page 90
Ray paths in inhomogeneous plasmas......Page 119
The distribution function......Page 129
The Boltzmann and Vlasov equations......Page 132
Solutions based on constants of the motion......Page 136
The moment equations......Page 137
Electron and ion pressure waves......Page 146
Collisional drag force......Page 151
Ambipolar diffusion......Page 155
The basic equations of MHD......Page 163
Magnetic pressure......Page 170
Magnetic field convection and diffusion......Page 172
The energy equation......Page 178
Magnetohydrodynamic waves......Page 181
Static MHD equilibrium......Page 189
MHD stability......Page 203
Magnetic reconnection......Page 221
The MHD jump conditions......Page 232
Classification of discontinuities......Page 235
Shock waves......Page 238
The Vlasov approach......Page 260
The Landau approach......Page 269
The plasma dispersion function......Page 285
The dispersion relation for a multi-component plasma......Page 288
Stability......Page 294
Linearization of the Vlasov equation......Page 316
Electrostatic waves......Page 319
Electromagnetic waves......Page 338
Quasi-linear theory......Page 362
Stationary non-linear electrostatic potentials......Page 374
11 Collisional processes......Page 381
Binary Coulomb collisions......Page 382
Importance of small-angle collisions......Page 383
The Fokker–Planck equation......Page 385
Conductivity of a fully ionized plasma......Page 392
Collision operator for Maxwellian distributions of electrons and ions......Page 396
appendix_a......Page 401
appendix_b......Page 408
appendix_c......Page 410
Index......Page 411