Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 33 x 1 Hour Lectures |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours | 70% |
| Semester Assessment | 2 assignment sheets | 30% |
| Supplementary Exam | 2 Hours | 100% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. State mathematically and derive expressions for basic plasma properties such as Debye length, plasma frequency, the gyrofrequency and gyroradius;
2. Derive expression for single charge particle motion in electric and magnetic fields and the drift motions when external forces are present ;
3. List and derive the main properties of MHD waves and the conditions for plasma instabilities such as Rayleigh-Taylor and Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities;
4. Discuss the formation of shocks in a collisionless medium and derive shock jump conditions.
Brief description
The course covers the essentials of plasma physics, including the nature of a plasma, motion of single charged particles in a magnetic field, magnetohydrodynamics, waves in plasma, and instabilities. The theory will be illustrated by examples from interplanetary space and the magnetospheres of planets.
Content
- Occurrence of plasmas, temperature of a plasma, Debye shielding, plasma oscillations.
- Motion of a single charged particle in (a) a homogenous magnetic field; gyro-radius and frequency; (b) a converging magnetic field; magnetic mirror; (c) an inhomogenous magnetic field; drift motion (d) a magnetic field with a perpendicular electric field.
- Magnetohydrodynamics: Maxwell's equations applied to a plasma; diffusion time of magnetic field in a plasma; 'frozen-in' fields, magnetic Reynold's number.
- Waves in a plasma: electron plasma waves, ion-acoustic waves, MHD waves, shear Alfven waves, fast and slow magneto-sonic (compressional) waves.
- Waves in cold magnetized plasmas: Alfven waves, ion cyclotron waves, whistler waves, waves at very high frequencies.
- Collisionless shocks.
- Types of instability, two-stream instability (simple 'doppler-shift' treatment), Rayleigh-Taylor and Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | Questions set in example sheets and formal examinations will include numerical problems. |
| Communication | Written communication is developed via the assignments. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Assignments with feedback are used in order that students might reflect on their progress during the module. |
| Information Technology | Students will be required to research topics within the module via the internet. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | The module will highlight the latest developments in this field and hence will assist with career development. |
| Problem solving | Problem solving is a key skill in physics and will be tested via the assignment and formal examination at the end of the module. |
| Research skills | Some of the assignment sheet examples will require the student to research in the library and over the internet. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6