An Introduction to the Linear Theories and Methods of Electrostatic Waves in Plasmas

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

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2. The Cookbook Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Fourier, Laplace, and Hilbert Transforms, but Were Afraid to Ask ...

   • W. D. Jones, H. J. Doucet, J. M. Buzzi

   Pages 1-47

3. Waves in a Conductivity-Tensor-Defined Medium A Cold-Plasma Example

   • W. D. Jones, H. J. Doucet, J. M. Buzzi

   Pages 49-70

4. Electrostatic Waves in a Warm Plasma A Fluid-Theory Example

   • W. D. Jones, H. J. Doucet, J. M. Buzzi

   Pages 71-87

5. Ion-Acoustic Waves with Ion-Neutral and Electron-Neutral Collisions

   • W. D. Jones, H. J. Doucet, J. M. Buzzi

   Pages 89-101

6. Finite-Size-Geometry Effects

   • W. D. Jones, H. J. Doucet, J. M. Buzzi

   Pages 103-140

7. Ion-Acoustic Waves in a Small Density Gradient

   • W. D. Jones, H. J. Doucet, J. M. Buzzi

   Pages 141-154

8. Landau Damping an Initial-Value Problem

   • W. D. Jones, H. J. Doucet, J. M. Buzzi

   Pages 155-198

9. Kinetic Theory of Forced Oscillations in a One-Dimensional Warm Plasma

   • W. D. Jones, H. J. Doucet, J. M. Buzzi

   Pages 199-218

10. Computing Techniques for Electrostatic Perturbations

    • W. D. Jones, H. J. Doucet, J. M. Buzzi

    Pages 219-242

11. Ion-Acoustic Waves in Maxwellian Plasmas A Boundary-Value Problem

    • W. D. Jones, H. J. Doucet, J. M. Buzzi

    Pages 243-275

12. Numerical Methods

    • W. D. Jones, H. J. Doucet, J. M. Buzzi

    Pages 277-299

13. Back Matter

    Pages 301-312

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Modern plasma physics, encompassing wave-particle interactions and collec­ tive phenomena characteristic of the collision-free nature of hot plasmas, was founded in 1946 when 1. D. Landau published his analysis of linear (small­ amplitude) waves in such plasmas. It was not until some ten to twenty years later, however, with impetus from the then rapidly developing controlled­ fusion field, that sufficient attention was devoted, in both theoretical and experimental research, to elucidate the importance and ramifications of Landau's original work. Since then, with advances in laboratory, fusion, space, and astrophysical plasma research, we have witnessed important devel­ opments toward the understanding of a variety of linear as well as nonlinear plasma phenomena, including plasma turbulence. Today, plasma physics stands as a well-developed discipline containing a unified body of powerful theoretical and experimental techniques and including a wide range of appli­ cations. As such, it is now frequently introduced in university physics and engineering curricula at the senior and first-year-graduate levels. A necessary prerequisite for all of modern plasma studies is the under­ standing oflinear waves in a temporally and spatially dispersive medium such as a plasma, including the kinetic (Landau) theory description of such waves. Teaching experience has usually shown that students (seniors and first-year graduates), when first exposed to the kinetic theory of plasma waves, have difficulties in dealing with the required sophistication in multidimensional complex variable (singular) integrals and transforms.

• Plasma
• fusion
• plasma physics

• Physics Department, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA

  W. D. Jones

• Laboratorie de Physique des Milieux Ionisés, Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France

  H. J. Doucet, J. M. Buzzi

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