This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the theory of magnetic field line reconnection, now a major subject in plasma physics. Biskamp focuses on the various reconnection mechanisms dominating magnetic processes under the different plasma conditions encountered in astrophysical systems and in laboratory fusion devices. The book consists of two major parts: the first deals with the classical resistive approach, while the second presents an overview of weakly collisional or collisionless plasmas. Applications primarily concern astrophysical phenomena and dynamo theory, with emphasis...

Here is a text on theoretical plasma physics, the science of extremely hot gases which make up most of the universe and are used extensively in fusion energy research. The authors treat a topic at the heart of this subject, transport theory, which predicts the electrical and thermal properties of the plasma. This comprehensive book is directed at graduate students in physics and professional research physicists, in particular, fusion energy scientists and space physicists.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the theory of magnetic field line reconnection, now a major subject in plasma physics. Biskamp focuses on the various reconnection mechanisms dominating magnetic processes under the different plasma conditions encountered in astrophysical systems and in laboratory fusion devices. The book consists of two major parts: the first deals with the classical resistive approach, while the second presents an overview of weakly collisional or collisionless plasmas. Applications primarily concern astrophysical phenomena and dynamo theory, with emphasis...

This work provides a self-contained introduction to magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), with emphasis on nonlinear processes. The first four chapters outline the conventional aspects of MHD theory, magnetostatic equilibrium and linear stability theory, which form a natural foundation for the topics introduced in later chapters. Chapters five to seven present nonlinear theory, starting with the evolution and saturation of individual ideal and resistive instabilities, continuing with a detailed analysis of magnetic reconnection, and concluding with a study of the most complex behaviour, that of MHD...

This monograph presents a comprehensive description of the theoretical foundations and experimental applications of spectroscopic methods in plasma physics research. The first three chapters introduce the classical and quantum theory of radiation, with detailed descriptions of line strengths and high density effects. The next chapter describes theoretical and experimental aspects of spectral line broadening. The following five chapters are concerned with continuous spectra, level kinetics and cross sections, thermodynamic equilibrium relations, radiative energy transfer, and radiative energy...