Physics 777

Plasma Physics and Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD)

Time: Tues. 10:00-12:55pm
Room: FMH 305

Instructor: Gregory D. Fleishman
Office: Tiernan 403
Office Hours: Thurs. 11:00-11:55 am
Phone: (973) 596-5569
e-mail: gfleishm@njit.edu
Course Web Page http://web.njit.edu/~gfleishm/:

• Readings: The reading assignments are listed below. Complete the readings before the corresponding lectures if possible.  Lecture Notes will be placed on the web before the corresponding lecture, although in some cases it may be only hours before the lecture.
• Homework: There will be several homework assignments, generally due one week from the time it is assigned, unless otherwise specified.
• Presentations: There will be no exams in the course, but the final grade will be based largely on an oral and written presentation given at the end of the semester.  You should get approval of the topic before committing to a particular topic.
• Grades: The grades will be based on attendance (5%), homework assignments (35%) the oral presentation (20%), and written report (40%).
• Academic Integrity: Students will comply with the NJIT Honor Code at all times. Any student who is disruptive in the classroom will be in violation of the Academic Honor Code and will be reported to the Dean of Student Services. Cheating of any kind is a violation of the Honor Code.  Any such violation will result in the student automatically failing the course and the incident will be reported to the Dean of Student Services for further action. Examples of cheating include, but not limited to, copying work from another student's home work/written report paper, allowing another student to copy from your paper.
Plagiarism, i.e., any copying, or direct reproduction, of any published material or its fragment in the written report paper without appropriate reference is absolutely unacceptable.

 

Main Textbooks:

B. V. Somov. Plasma Astrophysics (Astrophysics and Space Science Library), 2006

- Part I: Fundamentals and Practice, ISBN 978-0-387-34916-9

- Part II: Reconnection and Flares, ISBN 978-0-387-34948-0

 

M. J. Aschwanden. Physics of the Solar Corona: An Introduction with Problems and Solutions, Springer 2006.

 

Supplementary Reading:

 

-         P. K. Kundu. Fluid Mechanics. Academic Press 1990, ISBN 0-12-428770-0

-         S. I. Vainshtein, A.M. Bykov, and I.N. Toptygin. Turbulence, Current Sheets and Shocks in Cosmic Plasma, Gordon & Breach Science Pub 1993, ISBN 2-88124-877-2

 

 

 

 

Course outline

Physics 777

Plasma Physics and Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD)

 

Week 1: Introduction

-          Terrestrial, Solar, and Astrophysical Plasmas,

-          Plasma Parameters,

-          Single Particle Motions,

-          Kinetic Theory and MHD Approximation.

 

Week 2: Elements of Tensor Analysis and Linear Algebra

-          Definition of Tensors,

-          Tensor Algebra,

-          Determinants, Minors, Algebraic Adjuncts,

-          Solving Systems of Linear Equations.

 

Week 3: Plasma Dispersion

-          Eigen-modes of anisotropic and Gyrotropic media; General Case,

-          Cold Plasma Approximation,

-          Multi-Component Plasma,

-          Maxwellian plasma,

-          Collisional and Collisionless Plasma,

-          MHD approximation.

 

Week 4: Linear Waves in the Plasma

-          MHD Waves and High-Frequency Waves,

-          Emission of Waves by a Given Electric Current,

-          Emission by Rectilinearly Moving Charge, General Derivation.

 

Week 5: Microscopic Emission Processes in the Plasma

-          Bremsstrahlung,

-          Diffusive radiations

-          Magnetobremsstrahlung,

-          Transition radiation.

 

Week 6: Transport of Radiation

-          General Definitions; Equation of Radiation Transfer,

-          Optically Thick and Thin Emission,

-          Gyrosynchrotron Radiation,

-          Negative Absorption.

 

Week 7: Instabilities

-          Plasma Instabilities,

-          Electron Cyclotron Maser (ECM) Instability,

-          Microscopic and MHD instabilities,

-          Generation of Magnetic Field.

 

Week 8: Weak Turbulence and Magnetic Reconnection

-          Plasma Nonlinearity and Wave-Wave Interactions,

-          Spectral Description of the Turbulence; Random Phase Approximation,

-          Magnetic Reconnection in the Plasma.

 

Week 9: Large-Amplitude Waves and Discontinuities

-          Simple Waves,

-          Discontinuities in the Plasma,

-          Nonlinear Waves, Solitons,

-          Shock Waves,

-          Strong Turbulence.

 

Week 10: Wave-Particle Interactions

-          Basic Consideration; Conservation Laws,

-          Quasi-Linear Approximation,

-          Saturation of Instabilities due to Wave-Particle Interactions.

 

Week11: Particle Transport

-          Particle Transport in Collisionless Plasma,

-          Particle Diffusion in the Turbulent Fields,

-          Particle Trapping in Magnetic Structures,

-          Effect of Coulomb Collisions.

 

Week 12: Particle Acceleration

-          Elementary Concepts: DC Electric Fields and Adiabatic Motion,

-          Fermi Acceleration,

-          Stochastic Acceleration by Weak Turbulence,

-          Acceleration by a Shock Wave,

-          Acceleration by Strong Turbulence and Shock Ensemble,

-          Other Examples of Particle Acceleration.

 

Week 13: Astrophysical Plasmas

-          Strong Energy Release in the Plasma,

-          Collimated Jets,

-          Bulk Relativistic Motion of the Plasma,

-          More Examples of the Plasmas in Astrophysical Objects.

 

Week 14: Final Oral Presentations.