The course is based on relevant chapters from the book “Modern Classical Physics” by Roger D. Blandford and Kip S. Thorne, and the recommended textbook “Plasma Physics” by L. Vlahos.
Course Syllabus (Indicative):
- Introduction: General concepts and definitions of plasma-related quantities.
- Motion of Charged Particles in Electromagnetic Fields: (Drift, reflection/magnetic mirroring, etc.).
- Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) Description of Plasma: Elements of ideal MHD and applications in fusion and astrophysics.
- Dielectric Description of Plasma: The two-fluid formalism.
- Kinetic Theory Description of Plasma: The Vlasov equation. Hot plasmas.
- Plasma Perturbations and Waves.
- Instabilities.
Instructional Material & Methods
The teaching of the syllabus is supplemented by five problem sets (mandatory or optional), consisting of either theoretical reinforcement exercises or practical applications. Additional resources include supplementary notes, a series of recorded past lectures, and other educational materials such as simulations, animations, the National Committee for Fluid Mechanics Films (NCFMF) collection from the MIT archives, and other demonstration videos.