EP 495C - Plasma Physics and Engineering
Embry-Riddle University
Spring 2004
M. Anthony Reynolds

"Matter has only three states, although our colleagues in plasma physics have done a great job in convincing the rest of the world that there is a fourth state called 'plasma'... which is nothing but a gas"
- Prof. T. Lubensky, during a colloquium on liquid crystals.

NEWS

Breakeven
Ignition
Tokamak List
Rotational transform

WELCOME!

Virtual Tokamak
Frascati (Italy)
JT-60 (Japan)
TFTR (Princeton)
ET (UCLA)
ST (United Kingdom)
HBT-EP (Columbia)
DIII-D (General Atomics)
Links to more tokamaks


INFORMATION

Text: Introduction to Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, by Chen.
See the syllabus for more detailed information.

This is going to be a fun course, where you get to apply some of the physics you have learned to real-world situations, and we will also cover some neat mathematical techniques that you will use throughout physics.  

We will cover:
Fundamentals of plasmas: Debye shielding, plasma frequency, plasma parameter.  Motion of charged particles in electromagnetic fields: drifts, adiabatic invariants, diffusion.  Two-fluid theory in unmagnetized and magnetized plasmas: electrostatic, electromagnetic, and hybrid waves and instabilities.  Magnetohydrodynamics.  Magnetic fusion devices: mirrors, tokamaks, stellarators.  Electric propulsion devices: electrothermal, electrostatic, electromagnetic accelerators.
Prerequisites: MA 345 (Differential Equations and Matrix Methods), ES 206 (Fluids), PS 219 or PS 250 (Physics III).

 

SCHEDULE  

Week

Topics

Chapters in Morin

1-3
4-5

Plasmas
Single-particle trajectories
Exam 1 – Mon Feb 9

1 + handout
2

6-7
8-10

Fluid theory
Linear waves
Exam 2 – Fri Mar 12

3
4

11-12
13-14

Fusion devices
Electric propulsion devices
Exam 3 – Mon Apr 19

handout
handout

 

Exam 3 – Tue Apr 27

All

 

LINKS

All about plasma physics  (CPS)
 More about plasma physics  (PI)
Even more about plasma physics  (MIT)

LIBRARY

Available at the Jack R. Hunt Library are the following items:
Introduction to Plasma Theory, by Nicholson
Introduction to Plasma Physics, by Thompson - an oldie but a goodie.
Physics of Space Plasmas, by Parks - application of plasma physics to the near-Earth space environment.