Introduction to Plasma Physics

Definition of a plasma. Single-particle motion: Uniform fields. Static, non-uniform fields. Tune-dependent fields. Mappings. Plasmas as fluids: Fluid equations for a plasma. Relation between fluid equations and guiding-centre drifts. Single-fluid magnetohydrodynamics. Small-Larmor-radius approximation. Magnetohydrodynanmic equilibrium. Collisional processes in plasmas: Fully and partially ionized plasmas. Collisions in fully ionized plasmas. Diffusion in plasmas. The Fokker-Planck equation for Coulomb collisions. Collisions of beam ions in a plasma. Waves and instabilities in a fluid plasma: Waves in an unmagnetized plasma. High frequency waves in a magnetized plasma. Low frequency waves in a magnetized plasma. The Rayleigh-Taylor instability. The resistive tearing instability. Drift waves and instabilities. Kinetic theory of plasmas: The Vlasov equation. Kinetic effects on plasma waves - Vlasov's treatment. Kinetic effects on plasma waves: Landau's treatment. Velocity-space instabilities. The drift-kinetic equestion.