ASTR 760/ CSI 769 -
Space
Plasma Physics
Thursday 4:30 - 7:10 pm
Innovation Hall 205
Fall 2009
Syllabus
Instructor: Prof. Merav
Opher
E-mail: mopher@gmu.edu
http://www.physics.gmu.edu/~mopher
Office Hours: Tuesday 4:00-6:00pm or by appointment
Text Book: "Introduction to
Plasma Physics with Space and Laboratory Applications"
by Donald A. Gurnett and Amitava Bhattacharjee
Other readings:
"Space Physics, An introduction to plasmas and particles in the
heliosphere and
magnetosphere" by May-Britt Kallenrode
"Principles of Magnetohydrodynamics"by Hans Goedbloed and Stefaan
Poedts
"Plasma Physics for Astrophysics" by R. M. Kulsrud
Evaluation : No exams, HW
assignments (70%) and a final
project (30%) - NOTE NO LATE
HW's!!!!!! The HW's will be due two week after given.
This course is intended to
provide
students with the necessary background to be able to produce
groundbreaking
research in space physics and astrophysics. Since Space Physics covers
different regimes of plasma, this course will introduce the basic
concepts in kinetic, fluid and MHD plasmas and the properties of the
waves that can propagate in these media. It will also cover the basics
of shocks, discontinuities,
transport and acceleration of particles (e.g., cosmic rays) and MHD
instabilities. The emphasizes will be on an intuitive
understanding of the major aspects of plasma physics. The
evaluation will be
based on homework assignments. Mostly we will follow [1], but some
aspects will be taken from [2]-[4]. In these cases, this will be
indicated and copies given.
The final project can be chosen from: (a) Theories of Initiation of
Coronal Mass Ejections;
(b)
Acceleration of Particles in Shocks
(c) Coronal Heating
Problem
(d) Comparative Solar,
Planetary and Heliospheric Shocks
Topics:
Definition of plasma
properties [Chapter 1 of [1]]
-Debye length
-Plasma frequency
-Cyclotron frequency,
etc.
Macroscopic and Microscopic
description of plasma
Kinetic Theory -Major
Concepts
[Chapter 9 of [1]]
Particle Motions in Electromagnetic
Fields [Chapter 2 of [1]]
Magnetohydrodynamics [Chapter 3 of
[1]]
-Basic equations
-Flux freezing
-Examples/Applications
-Validity of MHD equations
Conservation Relations [Chapter 4 of
[1]]
MHD Waves [Chapter 5 of [1]]
Shocks and Non Linear Steepening
[Chapter 6 of [1]]
Instabilities [Chapter 7 of [1]]
Transport of Particles-Application
to Space Physics
Class Schedule and Content:
January 29 - 1st class
Lecture
notes (Chapter 1, start of Chapter 2 of
[1]; extra material pages 7-13 from [4], pages 48-54 and 65-67 from [3])
Definition of plasma properties
Description of Plasma: Kinetic
Theory and MHD
Particle Motions in
Electromagnetic Fields
February 05 - 2nd class -
HW#1
Lecture
notes (Chapter 2 of
[1])
Particle Motions in Electromagnetic
Fields: Motion in a Uniform Magnetic Field
Drifts (non homogeneous B; curvature;
gradient drifts)
Magnetic Mirrors; Examples in Space
Physics
February 12 - 3rd class
Lecture
notes (Chapter 3 of
[1] and pages 175-183 of [3])
Kinetic Description
Magnetohydrodynamics: Basic MHD equations
February 19 - 4th class - HW#2
Magnetohydrodynamics
Frozen Field Theorem
Application of Flux Freezing
Lecture
notes (Chapter 3 of
[1] and pages 183-> of [3])
HW1_Answers
February 26 - 5th class
Magnetic diffusion
Energy Equation
Conservation Relations
MHD Waves
Lecture
notes (Chapter 3, and start Chapter 4;
pages of [3])
March 5 - 6th class - HW#3
Conservation form of MHD
equations
Magnetic Helicity (word on
magnetic confinment in laboratory)
Force-free magnetic field
and force free equilibria
March 12 - SPRING BREAK
March 19 - 7th class
Conservation form of MHD
equations
Magnetic Helicity (word on
magnetic confinment in laboratory)
Force-free magnetic field
and force free equilibria
MHD waves
Lecture
notes
March 26 - 8th class- HW#4
MHD Waves
Waves in Cold
Unmagnetized Plasma
Lecture
notes
April 2 - 9th class
Waves in Cold Unmagnetized Plasma
Waves in Cold Magnetized Plasma
Lecture
notes
April 9 - 10th class - HW #5
Waves in Cold
Magnetized Plasma
Lecture
notes
Lecture
notes
April 16 - 11th class
Shocks and Nonlinear steepening:
Discontinuities (Contact and Rotational)
Shock waves
The de Hoffman-Teller frame
Lecture
notes
April 23 - 12th class - HW#6
Weak and Strong shock limits
Parallel and Perpendicular Shocks
Entropy of Shocks
Observations of MHD shocks
Instabilities:
Interchange instability
Parker instability
Magnetorotational
instability
Lecture
notes
Supplement 1
Supplement 2
April 30 - 13th class -
Discussion of the projects
May 07 - 13th class - no
class - FINAL PROJECT DUE