Basic Principles Of Plasma Physics

A Statistical Approach

Setsuo Ichimaru

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9780367850777
• eBook ISBN: 9780429981746
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Physics
• Index: Physics

The book describes a statistical approach to the basics of plasma physics.

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 INTRODUCTORY SURVEY

A plasma may be defined as any statistical system containing mobile charged particles. Vague as it may sound, the foregoing statement is sufficient to define what is known as plasma in physics and engineering.

We can trace the history of plasma research back to the time of Michael Faraday’s study of the “dark discharges.” From the middle of the last century until the earlier part of the present century, many prominent physicists engaged in research on electric discharges in gases; among them were J. J. Thomson, J. S. Townsend, and I. Langmuir. It was Langmuir and Tonks [1] who coined the word “plasma” to mean that part of a gaseous discharge which contained almost equal densities of electrons and positive ions. They did so in connection with the oscillatory behavior observed in it, the so-called plasma oscillation.

Many important contributions to the basic understanding of plasma phenomena have been made by astronomers and geophysicists. Indeed, many problems in astronomy and geophysics, such as the dynamic behavior of the ionized matter and magnetic field near the surfaces of the sun and stars, the origin of cosmic rays, the emission mechanisms of pulsars and radio sources, the dispersion and broadening of signals traveling through interstellar space, the dynamics of the magnetosphere, and the propagation of electromagnetic radiation through the upper atmosphere, are closely related to the fundamental aspects of plasma physics.

Work on plasmas was confined to a comparatively few individuals and laboratories until the early 1950s, when intensive work was begun in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union on the realization of controlled release of nuclear fusion energy. Although it has become clear that many years will pass before this objective is successfully achieved, the study of plasmas, which was once regarded as one of the old-fashioned fields in physics, has under this impetus become one of the central topics in science and engineering. In addition, interest in plasmas has been spurred in recent years by other possible technological applications, such as the direct conversion of heat energy into electricity by a magnetohydrodynamic means, the propulsion of space vehicles, and the development of new electronic devices.

Let us note that, according to the definition presented at the beginning of this section, plasmas may be found not only in gases but also in solids; electronic phenomena in semiconductors, semimetals, and metals can all be viewed as examples of plasma effects in solids. In the cases of the electrons in metals and semimetals, the density is so high that we must take account of the degeneracy brought about by the Pauli principle. The degenerate conduction electrons found in such metals are accordingly called a quantum plasma.

In Table 1.1, we list approximate magnitudes of densities and temperatures fo...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Editor’s Foreword
• Preface
• Chapter 1 Introduction
• Chapter 2 Kinetic Equations
• Chapter 3 Plasmas as Dielectric Media
• Chapter 4 Longitudinal Properties of a Plasma in Thermodynamic Equilibrium
• Chapter 5 Transverse Properties of a Plasma in Thermodynamic Equilibrium
• Chapter 6 Transient Processes
• Chapter 7 Instabilities in Homogeneous Plasmas
• Chapter 8 Instabilities in Inhomogeneous Plasmas
• Chapter 9 Fluctuations
• Chapter 10 Relaxation Processes
• Chapter 11 Plasma Turbulence
• Appendix A Structure of Kinetic Equations
• Appendix B Derivation of the Balescu-Lenard Collision Term
• Appendix C Analytic Properties of the Dielectric Response Function
• Appendix D Fluctuation-Dissipation Theorem
• Author Index
• Subject Index