Plasma Physics and Magnetohydrodynamics



PHYS -515: Advanced Topics in Physics, 3 credits 
Fall 2000, Tuesdays & Thursdays, 9:30 - 10:45, Roberts 208 
Instructor: Piet Martens 
Course Calendar 

Cusp in the solar corona Aurora Borealis
A soft X-ray image of the Sun taken by the Yohkoh satellite. Dense and hot plasma emits brightly in the aftermath of a flare in the bright cusp in the middle of the Northern hemisphere Charged particles precipitating along the magnetic field lines create the aurora. The emission is caused by the radiative deexcitation of atmospheric constituents, that were ionized by collisions with the precipitating particles that originate from the solar wind.
 
 
This is a course in the basic theory of plasma physics and magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) with applications and examples from solar physics, magnetospheric physics, plasma experiments, and astrophysics. The goal is to prepare the students for actual plasma physics & MHD research in any of those fields. 

The course calendar lists the subjects treated in each lecture as well as the handouts, and provides links to the assignments and to the visuals (overheads, pictures, movies) shown in class. 

A problem set will be assigned every other week. The combined score of these sets makes up 50% of the final grade. The other 50% is earned through an oral exam in December. 

The following links may be useful and stimulating for anyone interested in plasmas and their applications: 

 
 
Magnetic Reconnection Experiment (MRX) The Crab Nebula
Plasma discharge in the magnetic reconnection experiment (MRX) of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. The two flux cores and magnetic diagnostics are visible. Soft X-ray emission from hot plasma in the Crab nebula observed by the Chandra observatory
 

Contact Piet Martens for comments, questions, and contributions.
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