FUNDAMENTALS OF PLASMA PHYSICS

This text is based on a course I have taught for many years to first-year graduate
and senior-level undergraduate students at Caltech. One outcome of this experience has been the realization that although students typically decide to study
plasma physics as a means towards some specific goal, they often conclude that
the study of this subject has an attraction and charm of its own; in a sense the
journey becomes as enjoyable as the destination. This conclusion is shared by
me and I feel that a delightful aspect of plasma physics is the frequent transferability of ideas between extremely different applications so, for example, a
concept developed in the context of astrophysics might suddenly become relevant
to fusion or vice versa.
Applications of plasma physics are many and varied. Examples include
controlled thermonuclear fusion, ionospheric physics, magnetospheric physics,
solar physics, astrophysics, plasma propulsion, semiconductor processing, antimatter confinement, and metals processing. Furthermore, because plasma physics
is extremely rich in both concepts and regimes, it has often served as an incubator
for new ideas in applied mathematics. Concepts first developed in one of the
areas listed above frequently migrate rather quickly to one or more of the other
areas so it is very worthwhile to keep abreast of developments in areas of plasma
physics outside of one’s immediate field of interest. Dialog between plasma
researchers in seemingly disconnected areas has often proved quite profitable
for all concerned and it is my hope that this text will help to promote this
interdisciplinary aspect