Plasma Physics

The enlarged new edition of this textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to the basic processes in plasmas and demonstrates that the same fundamental concepts describe cold gas-discharge plasmas, space plasmas,

This book deals with basic concepts in plasma physics, non-equilibrium plasma modeling, space plasma applications, and plasma diagnostics. It also provides an overview of the linear and nonlinear aspects of plasma physics.

The enlarged new edition of this textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to the basic processes in plasmas and demonstrates that the same fundamental concepts describe cold gas-discharge plasmas, space plasmas, and hot fusion plasmas. Starting from particle drifts in magnetic fields, the principles of magnetic confinement fusion are explained and compared with laser fusion. Collective processes are discussed in terms of plasma waves and instabilities.

The “2007 ICTP Summer College on Plasma Physics'' was held at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy, during the period 30 July to 24 August 2007.