Description
Book SynopsisWith ninety per cent of visible matter in the universe existing in the plasma state, an understanding of magnetohydrodynamics is essential for anyone looking to understand solar and astrophysical processes, from stars to accretion discs and galaxies; as well as laboratory applications focused on harnessing controlled fusion energy. This introduction to magnetohydrodynamics brings together the theory of plasma behavior with advanced topics including the applications of plasma physics to thermonuclear fusion and plasma- astrophysics. Topics covered include streaming and toroidal plasmas, nonlinear dynamics, modern computational techniques, incompressible plasma turbulence and extreme transonic and relativistic plasma flows. The numerical techniques needed to apply magnetohydrodynamics are explained, allowing the reader to move from theory to application and exploit the latest algorithmic advances. Bringing together two previous volumes: Principles of Magnetohydrodynamics and Advanced Mag
Table of ContentsPreface; Part I. Plasma Physics Preliminaries: 1. Introduction; 2. Elements of plasma physics; 3. 'Derivation' of the macroscopic equations; Part II. Basic Magnetohydrodynamics: 4. The MHD model; 5. Waves and characteristics; 6. Spectral theory; Part III. Standard Model Applications: 7. Waves and instabilities of inhomogeneous plasmas; 8. Magnetic structures and dynamics of the solar system; 9. Cylindrical plasmas; 10. Initial value problem and wave damping; 11. Resonant absorption and wave heating; Part IV. Flow and Dissipation: 12. Waves and instabilities of stationary plasmas; 13. Shear flow and rotation; 14. Resistive plasma dynamics; 15. Computational linear MHD; Part V. Toroidal Geometry: 16. Static equilibrium of toroidal plasmas; 17. Linear dynamics of static toroidal plasmas; 18. Linear dynamics of toroidal plasmas with flow; Part VI. Nonlinear Dynamics: 19. Turbulence in incompressible magneto-fluids; 20. Computational nonlinear MHD; 21. Transonic MHD flows and shocks; 22. Ideal MHD in special relativity; Appendices: A. Vectors and coordinates; B. Tables of physical quantities; References; Index.
