本书系统地介绍了等离子体物理学的基本理论及其在很多重要等离子体现象中的应用。本书内容全面，结构合理，阐述清晰。作者注重表达的简洁性，没有拘泥于形式，对自学和进阶很有好处。从统计动力学讨论等离子体现象是本书的一大特色。另外，作者对数学处理技巧说明得非常详细，列举了数学推导的中间步骤，这些通常是留给读者自己完成的，同时强调了这些公式的物理解释，帮助读者获得更深入的理解。书中设计的习题是内容的重要组成部分，也是进一步提高的出发点。阅读本书需要经典力学和电动力学的基本知识。

PREFACE

1.INTRODUCTION

　1.General Properties of Plasmas

　2.Criteria for the Definition of a Plasma

　3.The Occurrence of Plasmas in Nature

　4.Applications of Plasma Physics

　5.Theoretical Description of Plasma Phenomena

 Problems

2.CHARGED PARTIE MOTION IN CONSTANT AND UNIFORM UNIFORM ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS

　1.Introduction

　2.Energy Conservation

　3.Uniform Electrostatic Field

　4.Uniform Magnetostatic Field

　5.Uniform Electrostatic and Magnetostatic Fields

　6.Drift Due to an External Force

 Problems

3.CHARGED PARTICLE MOTION IN NONUNIFORM MAGNETOSTATIA FIELDS

　1.Introduction

　2.Spatial Variation of the Magnetic Field

　3.Equation of Motionin the First-Order Approximation

　4.Average Force Over One Gyration Period

　5.Gradient Drift

　6.Parallel Acceleration of the Guiding Center

　7.Curvature Drift

　8.Combined Gradient-Curvature Drift

 Problems

4.CHARGED PARTICLE MOTION IN TIME-VARYING ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS

　1.Introduction

　2.Slowly Time-Varying Electric Field

　3.Electric Field with Arbitrary Time Variation

　4.Time-Varying Magnetic Field and Space-Varying Electric Field

　5.Summary of Guiding Center Drifts and Current Densities

 Problems

5.ELEMENTS OF PLASMA KINETIC THEORY

6.AVERAGE VALUES AND MACROSCOPIC VARIABLES

7.THE EQUILIBRIUM STATE

8.MACROSCOPIC TRANSPSRT EQUATIONS

9.MACROSCOPIC EQUATIONS FOR A CONDUCTING FLUID

10.PLASMA CONDUCTIVITY AND DIFFUSION

11.SOME BASIC PLASMA PHENOMENA

12.SIMPLE APPLICATIONS OF MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS

13.THE PINCH EFFECT

14.ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES IN FREE SPACE

15.MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC WAVES

16.WAVES IN COLD PLASMAS

17.WSVES IN WARM PLASMAS

18.WSVES IN HOT ISOTROPIC PLASMAN

19.WAVES IN HOT MAGNETIZED PLASMAS

20.PARTICLE INTERACTIONS IN PLASMAS

21.THE BOL TZMANN AND THE FOKKER-PLANCK EQUATIONS

22.TPANSPORT PROCESSES IN PLASMAS

APPENDIX A

　Useful Vector Relations

APPENDIX B

　Useful Relations in Cartesian and in Curvilinear Coordinates

APPENDIX C

　Physical Constants (MKSA)

APPENDIX D

　Conversion Factors for Physical Units

APPENDIX E

　Some Important Plasma Parameters

APPENDIX F

Approximate Magnitudes in Some Typical Plasmas

INDEX