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

by Donald A. Gurnett, Amitava Bhattacharjee

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781316848661
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	02/20/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Donald A. Gurnett is a pioneer in the study of waves in space plasmas, and has been active in teaching plasma physics and conducting experimental space physics research for over fifty years. He is currently the James A. Van Allen/R. J. Carver Professor of Physics at the University of Iowa and has received numerous awards for both his teaching and research. In 1994 he received the Iowa Board of Regents Award for Faculty Excellence, and in 1998 was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
Amitava Bhattacharjee is a leading theoretical plasma physicist and has contributed to a wide range of subjects spanning fusion, space, and astrophysical plasma physics. He is currently a Professor of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University, New Jersey, and Head of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Theory Department. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Geophysical Union.

Table of Contents

Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Characteristic parameters of a plasma; 3. Single particle motions; 4. Waves in a cold plasma; 5. Kinetic theory and the moment equations; 6. Magnetohydrodynamics; 7. MHD equilibria and stability; 8. Discontinuities and shock waves; 9. Electrostatic waves in a hot unmagnetized plasma; 10. Waves in a hot magnetized plasma; 11. Nonlinear effects; 12. Collisional processes; Appendix A. Symbols; Appendix B. Useful trigonometric identities; Appendix C. Vector differential operators; Appendix D. Vector calculus identities; Index.

Editorial Reviews

'Introduction to Plasma Physics, by Gurnett and Bhattacharjee, has been and with this new addition will continue to be my go-to plasma physics book for my research, and for the graduate course I teach in plasma physics.' L. A. Fisk, University of Michigan

'With their second edition, Gurnett and Bhattacharjee have made a good textbook great. For students aspiring to pursue the broad field of plasma physics, this is the book of choice. Relevant examples from space and laboratory plasma physics bring the subject alive. The authors' clear writing is at the right level for advanced undergrads and graduate students and makes understandable the important topical areas of plasma physics.' Michael Mauel, Columbia University, New York

'The approach of the book is in-depth and exhaustive. The derivations are detailed, with few 'and then the miracle happens' steps, which makes the book suitable for advanced undergraduates as well as researchers. Together with the meticulous mathematics, the physics is described in an intuitive way, which helps build a clear mental picture of plasma phenomena … I found the writing style refreshingly direct and readable throughout. As an aid to undergraduate teaching, most chapters finish with a problem section, with questions at a variety of levels, and suggestions for further reading … as an introduction to the general underpinning physics of plasma phenomena, it is an excellent book that I can see myself referring to extensively in future.' Stephen Milan, The Observatory

From the Publisher