Courses:

Introduction to Plasma Physics I >> Content Detail



Syllabus



Syllabus



Description


This course introduces plasma phenomena relevant to energy generation by controlled thermonuclear fusion and to astrophysics. It will cover basic plasma properties and collective behavior, Coulomb collisions and transport processes, motion of charged particles in magnetic fields, plasma confinement schemes, MHD models, simple equilibrium and stability analysis, two-fluid hydrodynamic plasma models, and wave propagation in a magnetic field.

The course also introduces kinetic theory, the Vlasov plasma model, the relation between kinetic and fluid models, electron plasma waves and Landau damping.



Course Prerequisites


In order to register for 22.611J, 8.613J and 6.651J, you should have previously completed 6.014 or 8.07 and 18.04 or 18.075, with a grade of C or higher. Exceptions to this policy will require the permission of Prof. Parker, and will be granted on a case-by-case basis.



Textbook


There is no required text for this course. There is, however, a list of recommended texts in the readings section.



Problem Sets


The weekly problem sets are an essential part of the course. Working through these problems is crucial to understanding the material. Problem sets will generally be assigned one week before they are due.



Exams


There will be one in-class (90 minute) mid-term quiz and a (3 hour) final exam. If you did well on the problem sets and exams, you should do well on the final exam.



Grading


The final grade for the course will be based on the following:


ACTIVITIESPERCENTAGES
Homework25%
Mid-term quiz25%
Final exam50%



Calendar



LEC #TOPICSKEY DATES
1Plasmas and their characterizationProblem set 1 out
2Basic plasma concepts: Debye shielding, plasma frequency, plasma parameter
3Charged particle motion in EM fields I

Problem set 1 due

Problem set 2 out

4Charged particle motion in EM fields II
5Charged particle motion in EM fields IIIProblem set 2 due
6Coulomb collisions: Cross-section and frequenciesProblem set 3 out
7Characteristic relaxation times
8Plasma fluid descriptions, two-fluid model

Problem set 3 due

Problem set 4 out

9Plasma fluid descriptions, MHD model
10MHD equilibrium I

Problem set 4 due

Problem set 5 out

11MHD equilibrium II
12MHD dynamics: Alfven wavesProblem set 5 due
13MHD dynamics: Stability
Mid-term quiz
14Transport IProblem set 6 out
15Transport II
16Plasma waves IProblem set 6 due
17Plasma waves IIProblem set 7 out one day after Lec #17
18Plasma waves III
19Plasma waves IV

Problem set 7 due one day after Lec #19

Problem set 8 out

20Plasma kinetic description
21Relation of kinetic to fluid description I

Problem set 8 due

Problem set 9 out

22Relation of kinetic to fluid description II
23Landau damping IProblem set 9 due one day after Lec #23
24Landau damping II
25Makeup lecture: Z-function; Ion acoustic waves
Final exam

 








© 2010-2021 OpenCollege.com, All Rights Reserved.
Open College is a service mark of AmeriCareers LLC.