Basic Plasma Phys w Space, Lab. 3 credits, 3 contact hours

Catalog description

Prerequisites: PHYS 611 , PHYS 621 , other equivalent, or approval of the instructor. Corequisites: PHYS 611 , PHYS 621 . The course will introduce students to basic concepts of plasma physics and its applications to laboratory experiments and space research. The course will cover the following topics: particle motions in magnetic field, adiabatic invariants, magnetic traps, radiation belts, electromagnetic waves in plasma, electrostatic oscillations, waves in magnetized plasma, collisional processes in plasma, kinetic effects on plasma waves, Landau damping, wave instabilities, plasma as fluid, magnetohydrodynamics, magnetic configurations of laboratory and space plasma, MHD instabilities, reconnection, helicity, dynamo theories, the origin of cosmic magnetic fields, stochastic processes, Fermi process, particle acceleration, and cosmic rays.