Plasma Confinement

Detailed and authoritative, this volume examines the essential physics underlying international research in magnetic confinement fusion. It offers readable, thorough accounts of the fundamental concepts behind methods of confining plasma at or near thermonuclear conditions. Starting with a review of fundamentals (including considerations of tensor calculus, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics, Maxwell-Lorentz equations, and charged particle motion), the text surveys four decades of controlled fusion research, with a focus on more recent concepts that have extended the understanding of confinement. Subjects include confined plasma equilibrium, kinetic description of a magnetized plasma, coulomb collisions, fluid description of magnetized plasma, stability of confined plasmas, collisional transport, and nonlinear processes. Designed for a one- or two-semester graduate-level course in plasma physics, it also represents a valuable reference for professional physicists in controlled fusion and related disciplines.