Anyone taken a Plasma Physics class?

[PICsmith]

Has anyone taken a an undergraduate course in plasma physics? If so, what text did you use and how did you like it? I need a text for plasma physics because:

1) I'm taking the course next semester and the professor doesn't use a textbook and he's also apparently a horrible teacher, so I'm buying a book anyway.
2) I need a good plasma text to learn/refer from for my job this summer.

I've been having a hard time finding any sort of information about this, and I'm posting here because no one ever looks at the Science Book Reviews section where I originally posted. Any help is much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Geoff St. Germaine]

Has anyone taken a an undergraduate course in plasma physics? If so, what text did you use and how did you like it? I need a text for plasma physics because:

1) I'm taking the course next semester and the professor doesn't use a textbook and he's also apparently a horrible teacher, so I'm buying a book anyway.
2) I need a good plasma text to learn/refer from for my job this summer.

I've been having a hard time finding any sort of information about this, and I'm posting here because no one ever looks at the Science Book Reviews section where I originally posted. Any help is much appreciated. Thanks!

It's probably too late, but I'll chime in.

Introduction to Plasma Physics by FF Chen is a good introduction.

Principles of Plasma Discharges and Materials Processing by Lieberman and Lichtenberg is also a good book.

Principles of Plasma Physics by Krall and Trivelpiece is a decent beginner book, better for a bit more advanced stuff.

If you're interested in diagnostics, look at Principle of Plasma Diagnostics by Hutchinson or Plasma Diagnostic Techniques by Huddlestone.

 

[lalbatros]

Suggestions by Geoff are very good indeed, assuming you are interresting in plasma physics for nuclear fusion.

Note that plasma physics is a very broad discipline.

Additional references I like much are:

-Principles of plasma electrodynamics, Alexandrov & al, Springer
deal with waves in plasma

- Theory of tokamak plasmas, RB White, North Holland

- Plasma physics for nuclear fusion, K Miyamoto, MIT press

- Transport processes in plasmas, R Balescu, North Holland

- Basic plasma physics, Rosenbluth et al, North Holland

I could could be more precise if you could explain your plan with a little more details.

Michel

 

[Geoff St. Germaine]

The only one of the above books that is really fusion oriented is Krall and Trivelpiece and a little bit of Chen. The rest are pretty broad, though mostly geared towards laboratory plasmas. Though fusion is what I'm working in (on a Tokamak).