Mathematics classes for MHD/Plasma Physics(maybe Fusion)

[Leb]

Hello all,

I am wondering if I could get some advice from people who have done MHD/Plasma Physics (or even better, went to do something like 'MSc in Fusion Energy' which is offered by York University). Ideally I would like to work somewhere with fusion energy (although it is vastly dominated by engineers...)

I am a third year undergraduate doing a joint degree in Physics and Mathematics. The courses from Mathematics I can choose(Physics courses are compulsory) to do are:
Topology and Metric Spaces(SM1) 2cr
Analysis and Differentiation (pre-requisite for Complex analysis) 1cr
Mathematical Methods(basically DE's)(SM1) 2cr
Algebra(SM2) 2cr
Some Dynamics courses (SM2)3cr
Some 'Project skill course' 1cr

The problem is, due to credit restrictions, I am only allowed to take a certain amount of courses.
I need to have 6cr in total. Now, I would love to take Topology and Metric Spaces course, but I would have to drop the two analysis courses (I am not sure to what extent I would use Complex Analysis taught by a Maths department, although I was told that I would need a good amount of Complex Analysis in any branch of physics to do with particles).

Thank you for your time.

 

[R.Mesri]

In terms of your question, it really depends on what you want to do. If you are looking to work in fusion energy, then you will need to have a solid background in math and physics. You should definitely try to take the topology and metric spaces course if you can, but make sure that you also keep up with the other math courses. Complex analysis is very important for many areas of physics, including MHD/Plasma Physics, so it would be wise to take the pre-requisite course and the complex analysis course. Additionally, depending on your interests, you may want to take some courses related to computer science, such as programming. This could be beneficial if you plan to use computers for simulations or data analysis.