Plasma-the 4th State of Matter
Contents:
1. Introduction 1.1 Basic Physics of Charged Particles Moving In a Magnetic Filed 1.2 The Lorentz Force 1.3 The Hall Effect
2. What Is Plasma? 2.1 What is it that distinguishes plasma from ordinary gases? 2.2 Commercial Applications 2.3 Waves in Plasma
3. Nuclear Fusion & Fusion Reactors 3.1 The Lawson’s Criterion 3.2 Magnetic Field Confinement 3.3 Inertial Confinement
4. TFTR & Its Contributions to Engineering 4.1 Transport 4.2 Fusion Power Production 4.3 Alpha-Particles Physics 5. Plasma & Space 5.1 Solar Prominences 5.2 Plasma Rockets
6. Conclusion
7. References
Table of Variables & Constants:
ε0 Permittivity of free space k Coulomb Constant, 9×109 N m2 C-2 Efficiency τ Confinement time ω Angular frequency v Velocity q Charge m Mass e Electron charge U Potential energy
F Force
B Magnetic field
P Power
E Electric field
V Voltage
T Period or Temperature
1. Introduction:
Until recently, looking at pictures similar to the one above had caused me to wonder; could this be a creation of some proficient artist, or the work of a powerful computer program? Honestly I never thought that this luminous phenomenon appearing as streamers of light, usually seen in the northern and southern regions of the globe, is what we have been taught in freshmen and sophomore physics about plasmas.
The aurora visible in this picture is thought to be formed by charged particles from the sun entering the earth’s magnetic field and stimulating molecules in the atmosphere. In one of the courses that I attended last semester, the instructor asked the class the following question; what is the greatest source of plasma noticeable to us? Among the seniors that were in that class, I, the first semester junior student, was the one who answers the question. Although I knew that our sun consists of plasma, I never really understood what the existence of plasma is all about. Fortunately, that class was concerned with direct energy conversion and its
1. Introduction 1.1 Basic Physics of Charged Particles Moving In a Magnetic Filed 1.2 The Lorentz Force 1.3 The Hall Effect
2. What Is Plasma? 2.1 What is it that distinguishes plasma from ordinary gases? 2.2 Commercial Applications 2.3 Waves in Plasma
3. Nuclear Fusion & Fusion Reactors 3.1 The Lawson’s Criterion 3.2 Magnetic Field Confinement 3.3 Inertial Confinement
4. TFTR & Its Contributions to Engineering 4.1 Transport 4.2 Fusion Power Production 4.3 Alpha-Particles Physics 5. Plasma & Space 5.1 Solar Prominences 5.2 Plasma Rockets
6. Conclusion
7. References
Table of Variables & Constants:
ε0 Permittivity of free space k Coulomb Constant, 9×109 N m2 C-2 Efficiency τ Confinement time ω Angular frequency v Velocity q Charge m Mass e Electron charge U Potential energy
F Force
B Magnetic field
P Power
E Electric field
V Voltage
T Period or Temperature
1. Introduction:
Until recently, looking at pictures similar to the one above had caused me to wonder; could this be a creation of some proficient artist, or the work of a powerful computer program? Honestly I never thought that this luminous phenomenon appearing as streamers of light, usually seen in the northern and southern regions of the globe, is what we have been taught in freshmen and sophomore physics about plasmas.
The aurora visible in this picture is thought to be formed by charged particles from the sun entering the earth’s magnetic field and stimulating molecules in the atmosphere. In one of the courses that I attended last semester, the instructor asked the class the following question; what is the greatest source of plasma noticeable to us? Among the seniors that were in that class, I, the first semester junior student, was the one who answers the question. Although I knew that our sun consists of plasma, I never really understood what the existence of plasma is all about. Fortunately, that class was concerned with direct energy conversion and its
References: [1] Reiner Decher, Direct Energy Conversion; Fundamentals of Electric Power Production, Oxford University Press, New York Oxford, 1997. [2] Raymond A Updated Printing, Saunders Golden Sunburst Series; Saunders College Publishing, Philadelphia, 1992. [3] Bruce R. Munson, Donald F. Young, Theodore H. Okiishi, Fundamentals of Fluid Mechanics, 4th Printing, John Wiley & Sons, 2002. [4] Plasma Physics & MHD Links, http://www.eng.vt.edu/fluids/msc/f_linkp.htm