Plasma Physics¶

Overview¶

This topic covers the fundamental physics of plasmas — the fourth state of matter — from single particle dynamics to kinetic theory and fluid descriptions. These lessons bridge the gap between basic electromagnetism and advanced topics like Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), providing the physical foundation needed for fusion, space, and astrophysical plasma research.

Prerequisites¶

Vector calculus (Mathematical_Methods L05)
Partial differential equations (Mathematical_Methods L13)
Basic electromagnetism (Maxwell's equations, Lorentz force)
Python intermediate level (NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib)

Lesson Plan¶

Fundamentals¶

Filename	Difficulty	Key Topics	Notes
01_Introduction_to_Plasma.md	⭐	Debye shielding, plasma frequency, gyrofrequency, plasma beta, quasi-neutrality	Conceptual foundation
02_Coulomb_Collisions.md	⭐⭐	Coulomb scattering, collision frequencies, Spitzer resistivity, mean free path	Collisionality regimes
03_Plasma_Description_Hierarchy.md	⭐⭐	Klimontovich → Vlasov → Fluid hierarchy, model selection criteria	Framework overview

Single Particle Motion¶

Filename	Difficulty	Key Topics	Notes
04_Single_Particle_Motion_I.md	⭐⭐	Gyration, Larmor radius, E×B drift, guiding center	Uniform fields
05_Single_Particle_Motion_II.md	⭐⭐⭐	Grad-B drift, curvature drift, polarization drift, general force drift	Non-uniform fields
06_Magnetic_Mirrors_Adiabatic_Invariants.md	⭐⭐⭐	Magnetic mirror, μ/J/Φ invariants, loss cone, banana orbits	Trapped particles

Kinetic Theory¶

Filename	Difficulty	Key Topics	Notes
07_Vlasov_Equation.md	⭐⭐⭐	Phase space, distribution functions, Vlasov equation, BGK modes	Collisionless kinetics
08_Landau_Damping.md	⭐⭐⭐⭐	Landau contour, wave-particle resonance, inverse Landau damping, particle trapping	Key kinetic effect
09_Collisional_Kinetics.md	⭐⭐⭐⭐	Fokker-Planck, Rosenbluth potentials, Braginskii transport, neoclassical	Collisional effects

Plasma Waves¶

Filename	Difficulty	Key Topics	Notes
10_Electrostatic_Waves.md	⭐⭐⭐	Langmuir waves, ion acoustic waves, Bernstein modes	Electrostatic dispersion
11_Electromagnetic_Waves.md	⭐⭐⭐	R/L/O/X modes, whistler waves, CMA diagram, Faraday rotation	EM wave propagation
12_Wave_Heating_and_Instabilities.md	⭐⭐⭐⭐	ECRH, ICRH, beam-plasma, Weibel, firehose, mirror instabilities	Heating and stability

Fluid Description¶

Filename	Difficulty	Key Topics	Notes
13_Two_Fluid_Model.md	⭐⭐⭐	Moment equations, generalized Ohm's law, Hall effect, diamagnetic drift	Bridge to MHD
14_From_Kinetic_to_MHD.md	⭐⭐⭐⭐	CGL model, MHD validity conditions, drift/gyrokinetic theory overview	Systematic reduction

Applications and Projects¶

Filename	Difficulty	Key Topics	Notes
15_Plasma_Diagnostics.md	⭐⭐⭐	Langmuir probe, Thomson scattering, interferometry, spectroscopy	Experimental methods
16_Projects.md	⭐⭐⭐⭐	Orbit simulator, dispersion solver, 1D Vlasov-Poisson solver	Three full projects

Recommended Learning Path¶

Fundamentals (L01-L03)          Single Particle Motion (L04-L06)
       │                                │
       ▼                                ▼
  Plasma parameters            Gyration, drifts, mirrors
  Collisions, models           Adiabatic invariants
       │                                │
       └────────────┬───────────────────┘
                    │
                    ▼
          Kinetic Theory (L07-L09)
          Vlasov, Landau damping
          Fokker-Planck, transport
                    │
                    ▼
          Plasma Waves (L10-L12)
          ES/EM waves, CMA diagram
          Heating, instabilities
                    │
                    ▼
          Fluid Description (L13-L14)
          Two-fluid, Ohm's law
          MHD derivation, gyrokinetics
                    │
            ┌───────┴───────┐
            ▼               ▼
    Diagnostics (L15)   Projects (L16)
    Probes, scattering  Orbit sim, Vlasov
            │
            ▼
    → MHD Topic (advanced)

Numerical_Simulation L17-L18: MHD basics and numerical methods (prerequisite for MHD topic, complementary to L13-L14)
Numerical_Simulation L19: PIC simulation method (computational complement to L04-L06)
Mathematical_Methods L05: Vector analysis (used throughout)
Mathematical_Methods L13: PDE methods (used in wave theory)
MHD Topic: Advanced magnetohydrodynamics (builds on L04-L06, L13-L14)

Example Code¶

Example code for this topic is available in examples/Plasma_Physics/.

Total¶

16 lessons (3 fundamentals + 3 particle motion + 3 kinetic + 3 waves + 2 fluid + 2 applications/projects)
Difficulty range: ⭐ to ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Languages: Python (primary)
Key libraries: NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib, Numba (optional for Vlasov solver)

References¶

Textbooks¶

F.F. Chen, Introduction to Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion (Vol. 1, 3rd ed.)
R.J. Goldston & P.H. Rutherford, Introduction to Plasma Physics
D.R. Nicholson, Introduction to Plasma Theory
T.J.M. Boyd & J.J. Sanderson, The Physics of Plasmas
J.A. Bittencourt, Fundamentals of Plasma Physics

Online¶

MIT OCW 22.611J: Introduction to Plasma Physics I
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory educational resources