Introduction to Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion: Volume 1: Plasma Physics 2nd Edition by Francis F. Chen (PDF)

Description

TO THE SECOND EDITION In the nine years since this book was first written, rapid progress has been made scientifically in nuclear fusion, space physics, and nonlinear plasma theory. At the same time, the energy shortage on the one hand and the exploration of Jupiter and Saturn on the other have increased the national awareness of the important applications of plasma physics to energy production and to the understanding of our space environment. In magnetic confinement fusion, this period has seen the attainment 13 of a Lawson number nTE of 2 x 10 cm -3 sec in the Alcator tokamaks at MIT; neutral-beam heating of the PL T tokamak at Princeton to KTi = 6. 5 keV; increase of average ß to 3%-5% in tokamaks at Oak Ridge and General Atomic; and the stabilization of mirror-confined plasmas at Livermore, together with injection of ion current to near field-reversal conditions in the 2XIIß device. Invention of the tandem mirror has given magnetic confinement a new and exciting dimension. New ideas have emerged, such as the compact torus, surface-field devices, and the EßT mirror-torus hybrid, and some old ideas, such as the stellarator and the reversed-field pinch, have been revived. Radiofrequency heat­ ing has become a new star with its promise of dc current drive. Perhaps most importantly, great progress has been made in the understanding of the MHD behavior of toroidal plasmas: tearing modes, magnetic Vll Vlll islands, and disruptions.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I picked up this book for my graduate plasma 1 class alongside Goldston’s book. The material is geared towards undergrads and would have been great had I picked up the book two years ago. Instead I found that I hardly opened Chen and stuck with Goldston or course notes. So if you are an undergrad or someone who is just generally interested in plasma physics this is probably what you should be buying. If you are a grad student and don’t have it already then there is a decent chance that if you buy this book all you will get out of it is a warm feeling in your heart from knowing that you have the same book on your shelf that every other plasma physicist has.UPDATE: A commenter wisely pointed out that this review actually doesn’t say anything about the book and that there is nothing wrong with the fact that it is less useful for grad students. That commenter was completely right. In hindsight, Chen’s book is one of the best introductions to plasma physics, and uptight grad students freaking out over qualifying exames would actually benefit from reading through it. I may not have used it often during courses geared towards other books, but once I was doing research I often found myself taking a peak at Chen’s approach to a subject. Basically, if you are studying plasma physics you are going to have to buy this book (and that is a good thing).

⭐However, you should take it with a grain of salt. This is a reprint of the 1980’s publication; while most of the information is still quite relevant, some of it is outdated, and quite often the absolute fundamental perspectives on things are ignored in favor of over-simplified assumptions (which was fine under the older school of plasma physics, but simply causes problems today where many plasmas are exceptions to the older school of thought, requiring a much more ‘fundamentalist’ approach).

⭐Through 2 chapters so far. A great source of knowledge.My one criticism is that the context is a bit mathematically heavy. Would have been nice to establish a more conceptual​ view at the begging.

⭐Having only gone through Chapter 4, I find that the general explanations and derivations to be easy to follow. However I don’t feel like the book is self contained, many times I have to consult other books to explain concepts that are not fully fleshed out in this book. Lastly, a minor nuisance is when the other uses certain terms that are quite ambiguous such as “schematic plot” which required to me speak to several people before I was convinced he just meant sketch.

⭐A very accessible text on a somewhat esoteric, but important branch of physics. Concepts are explained clearly and mathematical derivations are easy to follow. Many exercise problems scattered throughout the text help keep you on top of the material. Solutions to selected problems in the back help you check yourself before you wreck yourself. If only a full solutions manual were available!

⭐I took an intro to plasma physics class using this book at the undergraduate level – and this book was perfect. It has a good blend of experimental evidence, theory, and math. The derivations are really good, you can follow along in the margins. The pictures are clear and beautiful, the page layout easy on the eyes. This is not a graduate text, but aimed at the advanced undergrad level. You should already know calculus, complex analysis, EM, and linear algebra before learning this material.

⭐The book is good and the seller is great!

⭐Good solid introduction to plasma physics. Fairly general introduction geared towards advanced undergraduates and grad students. There are better books which concentrate on applications, both of which I own. Sturrock for geophysical and earth plasma physics and Kulsrud for astrophysics.

⭐The diagrams, questions and solutions are excellent. An essential resource for anyone studying this topic. Sample test at the end is also a good idea

⭐dopeness. St8 dopeness

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