Download Plasma Physics / Course Content

Plasma Physics / Course Content
1FA 258, Plasmafysik
Level and subject: The course is given at the Master-level in Physics
Credits:
5hp
Prerequisites:
Mechanics, Electromagnetic field theory
Teaching:
Lectures + Lessons (46 + 14)
Course responsibility: Department of Physics and Astronomy
Goal: The aim of this course is to give a basic knowledge about fundamental
concepts and relations within plasma physics, with applications to space and
astrophysics, and to controlled thermonuclear fusion. The main goal is to
teach the student to address various problems, both within plasma physics
and in its applications, in a systematic manner.
Course Content: Definition of plasma. Application in physics and
technology. Debye shielding and the plasma parameter. Single particle
motions in electromagnetic fields and adiabatic invariants. Fluid models of
plasmas. Waves in plasmas. Wave propagation, group velocity. Waves in nonmagnetized and magnetized plasmas. Collisions, resistivity and diffusion.
Equilibrium and plasma instabilities. Elements of kinetic description of
plasma and Landau damping.
Examination: Written examination at the end of the course.
Literature: F.Chen ”Introduction to Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion.
Vol.1 Plasma Physics”, Plenum Press, 2nd ed., 1984, ISBN 0-306-41332-9.
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Plasma Physics.
With methods developed in the course students will be able to:
1) define, using the fundamental plasma parameters, under what
conditions the ionized gas consisting of charged particles (electrons
and ions) can be treated as a plasma;
2) distinguish the single particle approach, fluid limit and
kinetic statistical approach to describe the different plasma
phenomena;
3) determine the velocities, both fast and slow (so called drift
velocities), of charged particles moving in uniform, or in space and
time varying electric and magnetic fields;
4) classify the electrostatic and electromagnetic waves
propagating in both magnetized and non-magnetized plasmas and
describe the physical mechanisms responsible for excitation of these
waves;
5) define and determine the simple transport phenomena such as
plasma resistivity, diffusion (classical and anomalous) and mobility as
a function of collision frequency and fundamental parameters for both
magnetized and non-magnetized plasmas;
6) formulate conditions for plasma to be in the state of
thermodynamic equilibrium, or non-equilibrium, investigate the
stability of this equilibrium and classify the most important plasma
instabilities;
7) define the physical mechanism for the specific plasma
physics phenomenon, collisionless damping of plasma waves, Landau
damping, and determine the main characteristics of this phenomenon
using the kinetic statistical approach.
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