In this book, a distinguished expert introduces plasma physics from the
ground up, presenting it as a comprehensible field that can be grasped
largely on the basis of physical intuition and qualitative reasoning,
similar to other fields of physics. Plasmas are ionized gases that can
be found in a hydrogen bomb explosion, the confinement chamber of an
experimental fusion reactor, the solar corona, the aurora borealis, the
interstellar medium, and the immediate vicinity of a gravitational black
hole. Not surprisingly, plasma physics appears to consist of numerous
topics arising independently from astrophysics, fusion physics, and
other practical applications, and hence it remains a field poorly
understood even by many astrophysicists. But, in fact, most of these
topics can be approached from the same perspective, with a simple,
physical intuition.
Selecting simple examples and presenting them in a simultaneously
intuitive and rigorous manner, Russell Kulsrud guides readers through a
careful derivation of the results and allows them to think through the
physics for themselves. Thus, they are better prepared for complex cases
and more general results. The first eleven chapters present topics by
their importance to plasma physics while the last three chapters
emphasize the field's astrophysical applications, applying the results
accrued earlier. Throughout, many problems illustrate the field's
applications. Based on a course the author taught for many years,
Plasma Physics for Astrophysics is intended for graduate students as
well as for working astrophysicists.
