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Plasma Physics
James D. Callen
University of Wisconsin, Madison
June 3, 2003
PREFACE
Plasma physics is a relatively new branch of physics that became a mature
science over the last half of the 20th century. It builds on the fundamental areas
of classical physics: mechanics, electrodynamics, statistical mechanics, kinetic
theory of gases, and fluid mechanics. The distinguishing feature of the plasma
medium is that its properties are determined by the nature of the interactions
between the charged particles in it collective rather than binary and weak
compared to their thermal motions.
The collective but weak interactions in a plasma embody many physical
processes over a wide range of length and time scales: predominantly deter-
ministic particle motion which however may be diffusive on long time scales,
internal generation of microscopically irregular but macroscopically smooth elec-
tromagnetic fields, both adiabatic and inertial (or fluidlike) plasma responses,
dielectric medium type electrical properties, and various flow regimes (laminar,
transitional, shock and turbulent). These processes lead to a wide variety of
interesting collective phenomena, e.g., dielectric shielding of charges, waves in
the medium, transfer of energy from waves to particles (via Landau damping, a
collisionless wave-particle resonance effect), transfer of energy from a distribu-
tion of particles into waves (instabilities), and turbulence in the six-dimensional
(three real plus three velocity space coordinates) phase space.
Increased understanding of plasma physics has both been stimulated by, and
paced, the development of its many important applications, e.g., magnetic and
inertial approaches to fusion, space and astrophysical plasmas, plasma process-
ing of materials, and coherent radiation generation (typically via acceleration of
beams of electrons or ions). Thus, plasma physics has developed in large part
as a branch of applied or engineering physics science with a purpose.
The primary objective of this book is to present and develop the fundamen-
tals and principal applications of plasma physics, with an emphasis on what
is usually called high-temperature plasma physics where the plasma is nearly
fully ionized with nearly negligible effects of neutral particles on the plasma
behavior. The level is meant to be suitable for senior undergraduate students
through advanced graduate students and active researchers. Pedagogically, it
begins from an elemental or microscopic description, then uses this to develop
macroscopic models of plasmas, and finally uses these models to discuss prac-
tical applications. A variety of applications of plasma physics are discussed
throughout the text; many others are covered in the problems at the end of
each chapter. In concert with the modern trend in the physical sciences, SI
(Syst`eme International dUnites) or mks units are used throughout.
This book has evolved primarily from lecture notes developed while teach-
ing various plasma physics courses at the University of Wisconsin-Madison over
more than two decades (19792003) and in part from teaching three years at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (19691972). My own research and teach-
ing has been predominantly in magnetic fusion research, which has been the
dominant driving force behind the development of the science of plasma physics
over this period. However, because plasma physics has grown into a mature
i
PREFACE ii
science whose principles are broadly applicable, I attempt to develop the fun-
damental concepts in an application-independent manner. In addition, many
different types of applications of plasma physics are discussed throughout the
book.
The science of plasma physics draws heavily on many areas of classical
physics and applied mathematics. Typically, not all of these subjects are well
known to the wide variety of students (from physics, engineering physics, elec-
trical engineering, nuclear engineering and other undergraduate curricula) who
begin studies of plasma physics. Also, most of the needed background material
is not readily available in concise, accessible forms. Thus, a number of Ap-
pendices have been written to provide relevant summaries; they give important
supplementary information that is an integral part of this textbook. Finally,
Appendix Z (to be placed on pages inside book covers) provides sets of ba-
sic formulas that are useful throughout the book vector relations, vector
differentiation operators, physical constants, and key plasma formulas.
This book is designed for teaching plasma physics at a variety of levels.
(It may also serve as a useful reference book for active researchers in plasma
physics.) For example, it could be used as the basis for a two (or more) semester
graduate-level course on plasma physics, at the rate of approximately one chap-
ter section per one hour lecture. However, it could also be used for teaching
a fast-paced, one-semester introductory course on plasma physics by covering
only the sections at the first of most of the chapters. Intermediate-level subjects
that could be omitted without compromising understanding of later sections are
indicated by an asterisk (*) at the end of the respective section titles. Advanced
material, which is relevant mostly for research purposes, is similarly indicated
by a plus sign (+). Bibliographies at the end of each of the chapters and appen-
dices provide information on other textbooks and research literature that should
be consulted for further details or supplementary course material. Individual
chapters of this book will be made available (in draft form) via my public web
page (http://www.cae.wisc.edu/callen) as soon as they are available.
The large number of problems at the end of each chapter are graduated in
level of difficulty commensurate with the various levels and styles of courses that
might be taught from the book. Specifically, the levels of the problems are clas-
sified according to their nature and consequent degree of difficulty: evaluational
(/), application development (//) and conceptual development (///). Also, the
level of material involved in solving the problem is indicated: basic (no mark),
intermediate (*), or advanced (+).
(Detailed acknowledgements of help by others and assistance in the prepa-
ration of this manuscript will be written later.)
Introduction
Plasma is often called the fourth state of matter. The various states of matter
occur as a substance is heated to temperatures above the binding energies for
particular states of matter and thereby undergoes phase transitions. As an
example, consider the states of H2 0 and its molecular, atomic and elementary
fig:1
particle constituents at various temperatures, as indicated in Fig. 1. Below
273 K ( 0.0235 eV1 ) it is in a crystalline form known as ice a solid, the
1 Temperatures (and particle energies) in plasma physics are usually quoted in electron
volts, abbreviated eV. The conversion factor from Kelvin to eV is Boltzmanns constant kB
divided by the electron charge: kB /e ! eV/11,604.4 K.
States States of
Temperature of H2O Matter Types!of!Plasmas
K eV
1.16!!1013 1!GeV
nuclear
plasma
plasma
fusion reactors
fully fusion experiments
interior of sun
1.16!!107 1!keV ionized
plasma
solar corona
earths magnetosphere
solar wind
partially
gas lasers
4 ionized!gas
1.16!!10 1!eV fluorescent!lamps,
steam neutral gaseous electronics
(H2O!molecules) gas
earths ionosphere
373 water liquid
273 ice solid interstellar space
11.6 .001!eV
first state of matter, which is a strongly coupled medium (binding energy large
compared to thermal energy). At temperatures between 273 K and 373 K the
crystalline bonds are broken, but large scale molecular structures exist and H2 0
is called water a liquid, the second state of matter, which is also a strongly
coupled medium. At temperatures above 373 K ( 0.032 eV) the long-scale
molecular structure bonds are broken and the independent H2 0 molecules form a
gas, which is commonly known as steam. Upon further heating to a temperature
of the order of the molecular binding energy ( 0.3 eV), the molecules dissociate
into independent hydrogen and oxygen atoms. While this is no longer steam,
it is still a gas in which the elemental constituents (H2 and 02 ) are electrically
neutral. This third state of matter is a neutral gas, which is a weakly coupled
medium on average, interactions between particles are weak, compared to
their thermal motions.
We finally reach the plasma or fourth state of matter when we heat the gas
to the point where a significant fraction of the atoms are dissociated (atomic
bonds broken) into negatively charged electrons and positively charged ions to
form an ionized gas. The fraction of the atoms that are dissociated is called
the degree of ionization. The binding energy of the most weakly bound electron
in atoms of all types is typically of the order of the 13.6 eV binding energy of
an electron in the hydrogen atom. As discussed in Section 7 of Appendix A
(Section A.7), when the temperature increases to a significant fraction ( 0.02
1) of the electron binding energy, collisions between the atoms in their thermal
motion cause a nonnegligible fraction of the atoms to become ionized. Electron
temperatures in the few eV range typically produce a partially ionized gas.
An ionized gas is in the plasma state if the charged particle interactions are
predominantly collective rather than just binary. (Binary interaction collisions
are one-at-a-time interactions with other individual charged particles or neutral
atoms and are the dominant ones in neutral gases.) In a plasma the inter-
actions are collective because many charged particles interact simultaneously,
but weakly, through their long-range electromagnetic fields, and in particular
their Coulomb electric fields. Thus, a plasma is a collective but weakly coupled
medium in which interaction energies are much smaller than thermal energies.
At temperatures above a few eV the ionization becomes essentially complete.
At this point, it is an almost completely ionized gas and it is nearly always in
the plasma state; hence it is then usually called a fully ionized plasma. Further
heating of a collection of such particles would successively break nuclear bonds
( MeV) and quark bonds ( GeV). These result in nuclear and quark-gluon
plasmas, respectively. However, such states are beyond the scope of normal
plasma physics and will not be treated in this book.
The word plasma, which comes from the Greek , means something
molded. It was introduced by Tonks and Langmuir in 1929 to describe the
behavior of the ionized gas in an electrical discharge tube, which they found
could be manipulated by a magnetic field. While most plasmas can indeed be
manipulated by magnetic fields to some degree, their collective behavior often
resembles that of an electrically charged, shapeless, structureless fluid that oozes
about mostly of its own accord, as one might imagine an electrically active
lump of jelly would. Thus, the name plasma is only partially appropriate it
expresses a hope but perhaps not always the reality. fig:1
Some common types of plasmas are indicated on the right side of Fig. 1. Par-
tially ionized plasmas include various types of gas discharges (fluorescent lamps,
gas lasers, arc discharges, plasmas for materials processing) and the earths iono-
sphere. The earths magnetosphere and the solar corona are prominent space
physics examples of nearly fully ionized plasmas. Since most of the vastness of
interstellar space is in the plasma state, it is often said that 99% of the universe
is governed by plasma physics. (However, since the interiors of stars are also in
the plasma state, the actual fraction of particles in the universe that are in the
plasma state is much closer to unity.)
The most prominent examples of high temperature, essentially fully ionized
plasmas are those in the solar wind and in fusion experiments. The latter
experiments seek to confine plasmas either with magnetic fields or inertially
at temperatures of about 10 keV or greater together with a product of the
plasma density and the plasma confinement time of more than 1020 m3 s. The
objective of creating such plasmas is to develop an environmentally attractive
new energy source based on the exothermic fusion of light ions. For example,
the fusion of deuterium and tritium (isotopes of hydogen) nuclei produces 14.06
MeV of energy, which is much larger than the 4.65 keV of collision energy
that is required to overcome the Coulomb potential barrier. In addition to
these thermal plasma examples, many types of modern devices for generating
coherent radiation are governed by the collective interactions of plasma physics:
free electron lasers, ion beams, relativistic electron beams, and gyrotrons.
This book concentrates on the physics of fully ionized, nonrelativistic plas-
mas composed of electrons and ions, which usually means temperatures and
particle energies ranging from about 10 eV to 100 keV. The physics of partially
ionized plasmas, which combines plasma and atomic physics, and chemistry, is
covered only partially through a few examples and problems. Quantum me-
chanical effects are mostly neglected because, while there are various types of
quantum mechanical plasmas, for the plasmas of interest here the most relevant
interaction distances are usually much longer than the de Broglie wavelength.
The fundamental processes in a plasma are governed primarily by classical
physics. The motion and interactions of charged particles are described by the
usual equations of classical mechanics and electrodynamics see Appendix A.
While relativistic effects in mechanics are important for radiative processes and
in very hot, relativistic plasmas where the electron temperature becomes a
significant fraction of the electron rest mass energy (511 keV), they can mostly
be neglected for the plasmas of interest here.
The distribution of the charged particles in the relevant six-dimensional
phase space (three spatial and three velocity space coordinates) is governed
by a plasma kinetic equation that takes account of the motion of charged parti-
cles in the extant electromagnetic fields, and of the Coulomb collisions between
the charged particles in the plasma. While the velocity distribution of charged
particles in a plasma is often close to the collisional equilibrium Maxwellian dis-
tribution, ordinary statistical mechanics is not usually applicable to plasmas
Fundamental Processes in
Plasmas
1
2
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 1
Chapter 1
Collective Plasma
Phenomena
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 2
within a few Debye lengths of a material limiter or wall. This boundary region,
which is called the plasma sheath region, is not quasineutral. Material probes
inserted into plasmas, which are called Langmuir probes after their developer
(in the 1920s) Irving Langmuir, can be biased (relative to the plasma) and
draw currents through their surrounding plasma sheath region. Analysis of
the current-voltage characteristics of such probes can be used to determine the
plasma density and electron temperature.
If the charge density in a quasineutral plasma is perturbed, this induces a
change in the electric field and in the polarization of the plasma. The small
but finite inertia of the charged particles in the plasma cause it to respond
collectively with Debye shielding, and oscillations or waves. When the char-
acteristic frequency of the perturbation is low enough, both the electrons and
the ions can move rapidly compared to the perturbation and their responses are
adiabatic. Then, we obtain the Debye shielding effect discussed in the preceding
paragraphs.
As the characteristic frequency of the perturbations increases, the inertia
of the charged particles becomes important. When the perturbation frequency
exceeds the relevant inertial frequency, we obtain an inertial rather than adi-
abatic response. Because the ions are much more massive than electrons (the
proton mass is 1836 times that of an electron see Section A.8 in Appendix
A), the characteristic inertial frequency is usually much lower for ions than for
electrons in a plasma. For intermediate frequencies between the characteris-
tic electron and ion inertial frequencies electrons respond adiabatically but
ions have an inertial response, and the overall plasma responds to perturbations
via ion acoustic waves that are analogous to sound waves in a neutral fluid.
For high frequencies above the electron and ion inertial frequencies both
electrons and ions exhibit inertial responses. Then, the plasma responds by
oscillating at a collectively determined frequency called the plasma frequency.
Such space charge oscillations are sometimes called Langmuir oscillations after
Irving Langmuir who first investigated them in the 1920s.
In this chapter we derive the fundamental collective processes in a plasma:
Debye shielding, plasma sheath, plasma oscillations, and ion acoustic waves.
For simplicity, in this chapter we consider only unmagnetized plasmas ones
in which there is no equilibrium magnetic field permeating the plasma. At the
end of the chapter the length and time scales associated with these fundamental
collective processes are used to precisely define the conditions required for being
in the plasma state. Discussions of applications of these fundamental concepts
to various basic plasma phenomena are interspersed throughout the chapter and
in the problems at the end of the chapter.
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 3
which results from writing the electric field E in terms of the electrostatic po-
tential, E = , in Gausss law see (??) and (??) Section A.2. The charge
density q is composed of two parts: that due to the test charge being consid-
ered and that due to the polarization of the plasma caused by the effect of the
test particle on the other charged particles in the plasma. Considering the test
particle of charge qt to be a point charge located at the spatial position xt and
hence representable1 by (x xt ), the charge density can thus be written as
q 1 q 2 2
n $ n0 (1 + ), perturbed adiabatic response. (1.4)
T 2 T2
The validity of this expansion will be checked a posteriori at the end of this
section. To obtain the desired polarization charge density pol caused by the
effect of the potential on all the charged particles in the plasma, we multiply
(1.4) by the charge q for each species s (s = e, i for electrons, ions) of charged
particles and sum over the species to obtain
! ! n0s q 2 " #
qs
$%
pol ns q s = s
1+O (1.5)
s s
Ts Ts
in which the big oh O indicates the order of the next term in the series
expansion. In obtaining this result we have used the fact that on average a
1 See Section B.2 in Appendix B for a discussion of the Dirac delta function (x).
2 Throughout this book q will represent the signed charge of a given plasma particle and
e ! 1.602 1019 coulomb will represent the magnitude of the elementary charge. Thus, for
electrons we have qe = e, while for ions of charge Zi we have qi = Zi e.
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 4
Retaining only the lowest order, linear polarization charge density response
in (1.5), substituting it into (1.2), and using the resultant total charge density
in the Poisson equation (1.1), we obtain
# $
1 qt
2 + 2 = (x xt ) (1.7)
D #0
in which the 1/2D term is caused by the polarizability of the plasma. Here, D
is the Debye shielding length:
Here, the subscript t indicates this is the particular solution for the potential
around a test charge qt in a plasma. That this is the solution can be verified by
substituting it into (1.7), noting that (2 (+ 1/2D )t = 0 everywhere
(( except
where r |x xt | 0 and there limr0 d3x 2 = limr0 ! dS =
3 For one- and two-dimensional geometries see Problems 1.4 and 1.5.
4 Here and throughout this book we write the mks factor {4#0 } in braces; eliminating this
factor yields the corresponding cgs (Gaussian) forms for electrostatic response formulas.
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 5
Coul
Debye
!!!!!!shielding
bmin n-1/3
qt /#0 . The solution given in (1.10) is also the Green function for the equation
(2 + 1/2D ) = free /#0 see Problem 1.6.
The potential around a test charge in a plasma, (1.10), is graphed in Fig. 1.1.
Close to the test particle (i.e., for r |x xt | << D ), the potential is sim-
ply the bare Coulomb potential Coul = qt / ({4#0 } |x xt |) around the test
charge qt . For separation distances of order the Debye length D , the expo-
nential factor in (1.10) becomes significant. For separations large compared to
the Debye length the potential t becomes exponentially small and hence is
shielded out by the polarization
( cloud surrounding the test charge. Overall,
there is no net charge Q V d3x q from the combination of the test charge
and its polarization cloud see Problem 1.7. The difference between t and
the Coulomb potential is due to the collective Debye shielding effect.
We now use the result obtained in (1.10) to check that the expansion (1.4)
was valid. Considering for simplicity a plasma with Ti >> Te [so the electron
Debye length dominates in (1.8)], the ratio of the potential around an electron
test charge to the electron temperature at the mean electron separation distance
1/3
of |x xt | = ne can be written as
* + ,1/3 -
) exp 1/ n 3
et )) e De 1
) = $ . (1.11)
Te |xxt | = ne
1/3 4 (ne De )
3 2/3 4 (ne 3De )2/3
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 6
For this to be small and validate our expansion in (1.4), we must require
That is, we must have many charged particles (electrons) within a Debye cube
a cube each side of which is the Debye shielding distance in length.5 Physi-
cally, (1.12) is a necessary condition for the plasma state because it represents
the requirement that, at the mean interparticle separation distance, collective
interactions of charged particles dominate over binary interactions. The number
of charged particles within a Debye cube (or more often its reciprocal 1/ne 3D )
is called the plasma parameter since it must be large for the medium to be in
the plasma state.
As another check on the validity of the preceding expansion approach, we
next confirm that the electric field energy in the polarization cloud is small
compared to a typical thermal energy for the test particle the temperature
of that species of particles. The polarization electric field is determined by the
difference between the potential t around a test charge in the plasma and the
test charges Coulomb potential Coul :
. + ,/
d q er/D 1
Epol = (t Coul ) = er (1.13)
dr {4#0 }r
in which r |x xt | and
er r = (x xt )/|x xt | is a unit vector in the
r xxt direction. The variation of the polarization electric field as a function
of the distance r away from the test charge is shown in Fig. 1.2.
The energy density associated with this electric field is #0 |Epol |2 /2. Using a
spherical coordinate system whose origin is at the position of the test charge,
we find that the total electric field energy obtained by integrating the energy
density, normalized to the electron temperature (again assuming Ti >> Te for
simplicity) can be written as
0 # $2 0 " # r/D $%2
1 #0 4#0 q d e 1
d3x |Epol |2 = r2 dr
Te 2 2Te {4#0 } 0 dr r
I
. (1.14)
8ne 3D
plasma physicists often use as the appropriate measure the number of charged particles within
a Debye sphere, (4/3)ne 3D , which by (1.12) must also be large compared to unity.
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 7
Er
Epol
Figure 1.2: Coulomb and polarization radial electric fields around a test par-
ticle of charge q in a plasma. Because the plasma polarization acts to shield
out the positive Coulomb electric field, the polarization electric field is negative.
The polarization electric field is finite at the origin, decays smoothly with dis-
tance away from the test charge, and shields out the Coulomb electric field for
separations larger than the Debye length D .
in which in the first integral form on the second line we have integrated the last
term by parts and cancelled it with the second term, and the final integral is
evaluated using (??) in Appendix C. From (1.14) we again see that our expansion
approach is valid as long as there are many electrons within a Debye cube (or
sphere), since then the electric field energy in the polarization cloud around a
test charge is small compared to the typical, thermal energy of a charged particle
in a plasma.
We can also use the concepts developed in the preceding discussion to es-
timate the level of thermal fluctuations or noise in a plasma. The thermal
fluctuations are caused by the interactions between charged particles through
the electric field around one particle influencing the positions of other parti-
cles within approximately a Debye sphere around the original charged particle.
That is, they are caused by correlations between particles, or by electric field
correlations within the plasma. To calculate these properly requires a plasma
kinetic theory (see Chapter 13). However, the fluctuation level can be estimated
as follows.
A relevant measure of the magnitude of the thermal noise in a plasma is the
2 /2 to the ther-
ratio of the electric field energy density in the fluctuations #0 |E|
mal energy density nT . The polarization electric field given by (1.13) represents
the correlation electric field between a test particle at xt and an observation
point x. From Fig. 1.2 we see that the polarization electric field is localized to
within about a Debye length of any given charge, and its magnitude there is
not too different from its value at r |x xt | = 0: Epol (0) = q/(2{4#0 }2D ).
Also, we note that all charged particles within about a Debye sphere [namely
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 8
ities than ions: electrons are like fast moving, lightweight ping pong balls while ions are like
slow-moving, more massive billiard balls for equal excitation or thermal energies.
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 9
plasma bulk!plsama
presheath
sheath
0 xs x
n ion!rich
transition quasi-neutral!plasma
region
n
ni
ne
0 xs x
Figure 1.3: Behavior of the electrostatic potential and electron and ion densities
in the sheath, presheath (or transition) and bulk plasma regions of a plasma
in contact with a grounded wall. For the case shown Te /mi V 2
= 0.9. The
sheath parameters determined in the text are $ 3 Te /e and xS $ 2 De .
The long-dash line in the top figure indicates the approximation given in (1.26).
with the behavior of the potential, and electron and ion densities in the plasma
sheath and bulk plasma regions, as well as in the presheath (or transition) region
between them.
The electron density is determined from the Boltzmann relation (1.3):
2 3
e [(x) ]
ne (x) = n exp (1.16)
Te
in which (x) indicates the equilibrium potential profile in the plasma, and the
subscript indicates evaluation of the quantities in the bulk plasma region
far from the wall (i.e., beyond the plasma sheath and presheath regions whose
properties we will determine). (In using this equation it is implicitly assumed
that the background electron velocity distribution is Maxwellian.)
For simplicity, we consider an electron-proton plasma with negligible ion
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 10
thermal motion effects (e >> Ti ). The potential variation in and near the
sheath produces an electric field that increases the flow of ions toward the wall,
which will be assumed to be grounded. The ion flow speed Vi in the x direction
is governed by conservation of energy for the cold (e >> Ti ) ions:
1 1
mi Vi2 (x) + e(x) = constant = mi V 2
+ e (1.17)
2 2
in which we have allowed for a flow of ions from the bulk of the plasma into the
presheath region so as to ultimately balance the electron flow to the wall. The
ion flow at any given point is given by
& ' " %
2e 2e 2
mi V
Vi (x) = V +2 [ (x)] = + (x) .
mi mi 2e
The spatial change in the ion flow speed causes the ion density to change as
well a high flow speed produces a low ion density. The ion density variation
is governed, in a steady equilibrium, by the continuity or density conservation
equation [see (??) in Appendix A] for the ion density: d(ni Vi )/dx = 0, or
ni (x)Vi (x) = constant. Thus, referencing the ion density to its value n in the
bulk plasma (x ), it can be written as
2 31/2
2e [ (x)]
ni (x) = n 1 + 2
. (1.18)
mi V
Substituting the electron and ion densities into Poissons equation (1.1), we
obtain the equation that governs the spatial variation of the potential in the
sheath, presheath and plasma regions:
d2 e
= (ni ne )
dx2 #0
.2 31/2 2 3/
n e 2e [ (x)] e [ (x)]
= 1+ 2
exp .(1.19)
#0 mi V Te
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 11
Here, De is the electron Debye length evaluated at the bulk plasma density n .
For mi V 2
< Te the coefficient of (x) on the right would be negative;
this would imply a spatially oscillatory solution that is not physically realis-
tic for the present plasma model, which implicitly assumes that the potential
is a monotonic function of x. Thus, a necessary condition for proper sheath
formation in this model is
1
|V | Te /mi , Bohm sheath criterion. (1.21)
Since this condition need only be satisfied marginally and the ion flow into
the sheath region typically assumes its minimum value, it is usually sufficient
to make this criterion an equality. The Bohm sheath criterion implies that ions
must enter the sheath region sufficiently rapidly to compensate for the electron
charge leakage through the sheath to the wall. In general, what is required for
proper sheath formation is that, as we move toward the wall, the local charge
density increases as the potential decreases:1 q / < 0 for all x. Also, since
we will later find (see Section 1.4) that Te /mi is the speed of ion acoustic
waves in a plasma (for the plasma model being considered), the Bohm sheath
criterion implies that the ions must enter the presheath region at a supersonic
speed relative to the ion acoustic speed.
As long as the Bohm sheath criterion is satisfied, solutions of (1.19) will be
well-behaved, and exponentially damped in the presheath region: for x >> xS
we have (x) $ C exp(x/h) where h = De (1 Te /mi V )
2 1/2
and C is
a constant of order S . Thus, for1this plasma model, in the typical case
where V is equal to or slightly exceeds Te /mi , the presheath region where the
potential deviates from extends only a few Debye lengths into the plasma. In
more comprehensive models for the plasma, and in particular when ion thermal
effects are included, it is found that the presheath region can be larger and the
potential variation in this region is influenced by the effects of sheath geometry,
local plasma sources, collisions and a magnetic field (if present). However, the
Bohm sheath criterion given by (1.21) remains unchanged for most physically
relevant situations, as long as the quantity on the right side is interpreted to be
the ion acoustic speed in the plasma model being used.
We next calculate the plasma potential that the plasma will rise to in
order to hold back the electrons so that their loss rate will be equal to the ion loss
rate from the plasma. The flux of ions to the wall is given by ni V , which
when1evaluated at the Bohm sheath criterion value given in (1.21) becomes
n Te /mi . (The flux is negative because it is in the negative x direction.)
A Maxwellian distribution of electrons will produce (see Section A.3) a random
flux of electrons to the 1 wall on the left side of the plasma of (1/4)ne ve =
(n /4) exp(e /Te ) 8Te /me . Thus, the net electrical current density to
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 12
J = Ji Je = e(ni V ne ve )
*1 1 -
= en Te /mi (1/4) 8Te /me exp (e /Te ) . (1.22)
where after the inequality we have used the proton to electron mass ratio mi /me
= 1836. In the original work in this area in 1949, Bohm argued that a potential
drop of Te /2e extending over a long distance into the plasma (much further
than where
1 we are calculating) is required to produce the incoming ion speed
V Te /mi at the sheath edge. In Bohms model the density n is e1/2 =
0.61 times smaller than the bulk plasma ion density and thus the ion current
Ji is smaller by this same factor. For this model, the potential in (1.23)
increases by 0.5 Te /e to 3.34 Te /e. Since lots additional physics (see end of
preceding paragraph) needs to be included to precisely determine the plasma
potential for a particular situation, and the plasma potential does not change
too much with these effects, for simplicity we will take the plasma potential
to be approximately 3 Te /e.
Finally, we investigate the form of (x) in the sheath region near the wall
(x << xS ). In this region the potential is much less than and the electron
density becomes so small relative to the ion density that it can be neglected. The
equation governing the potential in this ion-rich region can thus be simplified
from (1.19) to
" %1/2
d2 (x) en mi V2
/2e
$ . (1.24)
dx2 #0 + mi V
2 /2e (x)
in which De /(mi V2
/2Te )1/4 .
To integrate this equation we multiply by d/dx and integrate over x us-
ing (d/dx)(d2 /dx2 ) = (1/2)(d/dx)(d/dx)2 and dx(d/dx)/ = d/ =
2d to obtain
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 13
# $2
1 d 2
$ + constant.
2 dx 2
Since both and d/dx are small near xS , this equation is approximately valid
for the x < xS region if we take the constant in it to be zero. Solving the
resultant equation for d/dx, we obtain
d 21/4 4 2dx
$ = d(3/4 ) $ .
dx 3
Integrating this equation from x = 0 where = 0 (e + mi V
2
/2)/Te to
x where = (x), we obtain
3/4 3x
3/4 (x) 0 $ ,
2
or
(x) $ ( + mi V
2
/2e)[1 (1 x/xS )4/3 ]. (1.26)
Equation (1.26) is valid in the sheath region near the wall (0 < x << xS ). We
have identified the scale length in (1.27) with the sheath width xS because this
is the distance from the wall at which the potential (x) extrapolates to the
effective plasma potential in the bulk plasma, + mi V 2
1 /2e.
Using the value for given in (1.23) and V $ Te /mi , the sheath
thickness becomes xS $ 2 De . Thus, as shown in Fig. 1.3, for this model the
plasma charges to a positive potential of a few Te /e and is quasineutral up
to the non-neutral plasma sheath region, which extends a few Debye lengths
( 2 xS 4 De in Fig. 1.3) from the grounded wall into the plasma region.
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 14
I
ISe
plasma
I B
B ISi p
Figure 1.4: Schematic of Langmuir probe inserted into a plasma and its idealized
current-voltage characteristics: current I drawn out of the probe as a function
of the bias voltage or potential B . The labeled potentials and currents are:
f , floating potential; p , plasma potential; ISi , ion saturation current; ISe ,
electron saturation current.
often used in laboratory plasmas that have modest parameters (Te < 10 eV,
<
ne 10 m probes tend to get burned up at higher plasma parameters).
19 3
Since the bias potential B on the probe will not affect the incoming ion
flow speed V (for B < ), following the discussion leading to (1.22) the ion
current out of the probe will be given by
1
Ii = AS Ji = n e Te /mi AS ISi , ion saturation current (ISi ), (1.28)
where AS is the area of the probe plus sheath over which the ions are collected
by the probe. For the electrons we must take account of the bias potential B
on the probe. The electron current into the probe is given by
1
n e Te /2me Ap ISe , B p ,
Ie = Ap Je =
n e1T /2m A exp [ e( )/T ] , < ,
e e p p B e B p
(1.29)
in which Ap is the area of the probe and p is the plasma potential the voltage
at which all electrons heading toward the probe are collected by it. (Whereas
the effective area for ions to be collected by the probe encompasses both the
probe and the sheath, for B < p the relevant area Ap for electrons is just the
probe area since only those electrons surmounting the sheath potential make
it to the probe see Fig. 1.3. However, when B > p the relevant area,
and consequent electron current, grows slightly and roughly linearly with bias
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 15
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 16
This formula is valid for e(p +0.5B ) >> Te small or negative bias voltages
B p . As the bias potential B increases toward the plasma potential p ,
the plasma sheath becomes thinner; it disappears for e(p B ) < 0.5 Te .
For large negative bias potentials (|B | >> Te /e), the electrical current
density flowing through the ion-rich sheath region is limited by space charge
effects and given by the Child-Langmuir law see Problem 1.13. However, tran-
siently the current density can be larger that indicated by the Child-Langmuir
law see Problem 1.14.
dv
m = q E(x, t). (1.31)
dt
The electric field perturbation will be assumed to be small enough and suffi-
ciently slowly varying in space so that nonlinear and translational motion effects
are negligible. Thus, it will be sufficient to evaluate the electric field at the ini-
tial position x0 and neglect the small variation in the electric field induced by
the motion x(t) of the charged particle. This approximation will be discussed
further after the next paragraph.
Integrating (1.31) over time, the velocity perturbation v (t) induced by the
electric field perturbation for a particle with initial velocity v0 is given by
0 t 0 t
q $ (t$ ), t$ ] $ q 0 , t$ ).
v (t) v(t) v0 = dt$ E[x dt$ E(x (1.32)
m 0 m 0
Integrating once more over time, we find that the motion induced by the electric
field perturbation becomes
0 t 0 t#
q 0 , t$$ ), inertial response.
x (t) x(t) (x0 + v0 t) $ dt$ dt$$ E(x
m 0 0
(1.33)
7 Perturbations to an equilibrium will be indicated throughout the book by a tilde over
the symbol for the perturbed quantity. Equilibrium quantities will be indicated by 0 (zero)
subscripts.
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 17
Because the response of the particle to the electric field force is limited by the
inertial force m a = m dv/dt, this is called an inertial response. Note that this
response is inversely proportional to the mass of the charged particle; thus,
the lighter electrons will give the primary inertial response to an electric field
perturbation in a plasma.
We check our approximation of evaluating the electric field at the initial
position x0 by expanding the electric field in a Taylor series expansion about
the charged particle trajectory given by
[x(t), t] = E
E (x0 , t) + ( |x +
x + v0 t) E (1.34)
0
Our approximation is valid as long as the second (and higher order) terms in
this expansion are small compared to the first term:
( << E.
x + v0 t) E (1.35)
Thus, the electric field perturbation must vary sufficiently slowly in space (i.e.,
the gradient scale length |(1/|E|) 1 must be long compared to the distance
E|
x + v0 t|), be small enough (so the nonlinear term x
| is small compared to
E
E) and the elapsed time must not be too long. These approximations will be
checked a posteriori at the end of this section.
The inertial motion x of a charged particle in response to the electric field
perturbation creates an electric dipole moment q x. A uniform density n0 of such
charged particles leads to an electric polarization density P = n0 qx. Summing
over the species of charged particles in the plasma, the total plasma polarization
density becomes
! ! 0 t 0 t#
=
P s = #0
n0s qs x 2
ps dt$ (t$$ )
dt$$ E (1.36)
s s 0 0
n0s qs2
2
ps , square of species plasma frequency, (1.37)
ms #0
is the inertial or plasma frequency for a species s, whose physical significance
will be discussed below.
Because the ions are so much more massive than the electrons (the ratio of
the proton to electron mass is 1836), they have much more inertia. Thus, their
plasma frequency is much1 smaller than that for the electrons for example,
for protons pi /pe = me /mp $ 1/43 << 1. Since the electrons give the
dominant contribution to the plasma polarization and have the largest plasma
frequency, we have
!
2
ps = pe
2
+ pi
2 2
$ pe . (1.38)
s
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 18
or
1
fpe pe /2 $ 9 ne (m3 ) Hz, plasma frequency. (1.40)
The plasma polarization in (1.36) causes [see(??) and (??) Section A.2] a po-
larization charge density pol given by the negative of the divergence of the
polarization P:
! 0 t 0 t#
pol (E) = P = #0 2
ps dt $ $$ ).
dt$$ E(t (1.41)
s 0 0
This differential and integral equation in space and time, respectively, can be
reduced to a simpler, completely differential form by taking its second partial
derivative with respect to time to yield
. /
!
2E 9 :
+ 2
ps E + Eext = 0. (1.43)
t2 s
Using the approximation in (1.38), we thus find that taking into account the
inertial effects of charged particles (mostly electrons), nontrivial (i.e., nonvan-
ishing) electric field perturbations satisfying condition (1.35) are governed by
the differential equation
2E
2
2
+ pe E = pe
2
Eext . (1.44)
t
This is a linear, inhomogeneous differential equation of the harmonic oscilla-
induced by the
tor type with frequency pe for the perturbed electric field E
externally applied electric field Eext .
The complementary (in the current langauge of mathematics) solutions of
the homogeneous part of this equation are of the form
h = Cc cos pe t + Cs sin pe t,
E (1.45)
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 19
plasma
V(t)
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 20
field is
2
pe
p =
E E0 sin 0 t. (1.47)
02 pe
2
plasma sin pe t + E
E driven sin 0 t. (1.48)
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 21
collective dielectric
shielding medium
E0
0 wpe
w
this estimate
1 we take v0 to be of order the most probable electron thermal speed
vT e 2Te /me [see (??) in Section A.3]. Also, we estimate t by 1/. However,
since the most important plasma effectsoccur for pe (see Fig. 1.6), we
scale to pe . Then, since vT e /pe = 2 De , the particle streaming part of
(1.35) leads, neglecting numerical factors, to the condition
That is, for pe the plasma must be large compared to the electron Debye
length.
E
For validity of the nonlinear condition x << E
we consider a situation
where E = (/L) sin t. Then, again neglecting numerical factors, we find that
to neglect the nonlinearities we must require
# 2$
e L2
<< 2 2
. (1.50)
Te De pe
plasma, the nonlinear criterion is usually well satisfied as long as the streaming
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 22
criterion in (1.49) is. Hence, our derivation of the plasma polarization is gen-
erally valid for pe plasma oscillation phenomena as long as the plasma
under consideration is much larger than the electron Debye length.
We can also use the preceding logic to specify the temporal and spatial
scales on which the inertial response and effects discussed in this section apply
in an infinite, homogeneous plasma versus the conditions where the adiabatic
response in the first section of this chapter apply. (For a general discussion of
inertial and adiabatic responses for a harmonic oscillator see Appendix E.)
For pe , as long as the scale length L x of interest is long compared to the
electron Debye length De , conditions (1.35), (1.49) and (1.50) are all satisfied.
Then, the inertial and electron plasma oscillation effects we have discussed are
relevant since >> vT e /x, which is the inverse of the time required for a
thermal electron to move a distance x. However, for low frequencies << pe
such that x << De (/pe ), or for scale lengths x << De with pe , the
inequality conditions become reversed and the approximations we have used
in this section break down. Then, instead of an inertial response, we obtain
an adiabatic response for << vT e /x and the Debye shielding effects we
discussed in the first section of this chapter. Intermediate situations with x
De (pe /) vT e / must be treated kinetically see Chapter 8.
D = free , (1.51)
where
D #E (1.52)
is the displacement vector, free is the charge density of the free charges (i.e.,
those not contributing to the plasma dielectric), and # is the dielectric constant of
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 23
the medium (# = #0 for a vacuum). The electric field perturbation E induces the
polarization charge density given in (1.41) and the polarization P. Comparing
(1.51) with (1.41) and (1.42), we deduce that the perturbed displacement vector
is related to the polarization P
D through [see (??) and (??)]
D +P
= #0 E #0 (1 + # E,
E ) E (1.53)
with
#0
P
E E (1.54)
! ps
2
= #0
P #0
E
E E; (1.55)
s
2
hence, we have
! ps
2 2
pe
E () =
$ (1.56)
s
2 2
and
; < ; <
! ps
2 2
pe
#I () = #0 1 $ #0 1 2 , inertial dielectric. (1.57)
s
2
vant frequency ranges, e.g., for visible light. Hence its properties are characterized by a dielec-
tric constant. However, in plasmas the dielectric response function often varies significantly
with frequency (and wavenumber k). Thus, in plasmas we will usually try to avoid speaking
of a dielectric constant; instead we will just refer to the plasma dielectric. However, when
the dielectric response function is evaluated for a particular frequency (and wavenumber k),
we will often call it the dielectric constant.
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 24
"0
0
wpe w
out of the plasma or cut off in this frequency range. The vanishing of #I for
= pe indicates that this is a normal mode of oscillation of the plasma, as
is evident from the plasma oscillator equation (1.44) driven electric fields at
frequencies where the dielectric vanishes lead to unbounded resonant responses
in linear theory, as can be inferred from (1.51) and (1.52). Also, since #I is small
for close to pe , the transient plasma frequency response E plasma is largest
in this frequency range. Finally, we note that #I () is divergent in the 0
or static limit. Thus, the inertial dielectric response of a plasma can only be
defined for temporally varying processes.
Because the polarization of the plasma is 180 out of phase with respect
to the electric field perturbations for all real , the inertial plasma response is
reactive (i.e., not dissipative) for all frequencies . That there is no dissipation
can be demonstrated explicitly by calculating the average Joule heating E J
with J = n0 e v over an oscillation period 2/ and showing that it vanishes.
If dissipative effects, such as collisons, are added, they lead to wave damping
through the joule heating they induce in the plasma see Problem 1.18
The energy density of plasma oscillations is composed of two parts: the
vacuum electric field energy density #0 |E| 2 /2 and the polarization energy den-
1
sity wpol = 2 P E = 2 #0 1
E |E| . For an electric field perturbation E
2
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 25
In contrast, for high frequencies ( >> pe ) the electron inertia effects cause
the polarization to be small; then, the energy density is predominantly just that
residing in the electric field perturbation itself. The fact that the energy density
caused by electric field perturbations can have a significant (or even dominant,
as occurs for << pe ) component due to the polarizability of the plasma is a
very important aspect of plasma oscillations.
e
e = n0e
n . (1.59)
Te
The perturbed ion density for an inertial ( >> vT i /x) response induced by
is obtained from the ion polarization part of the
an electric field perturbation E
total plasma charge density given in (1.41):
0 t 0 t#
#0 2 $$ ).
i = pi
n dt $
dt$$ E(t (1.60)
qi 0 0
=
in which we have specialized to electrostatic perturbations for which E
2
and E = .
Substituting this perturbed charge density into Poissons equation (1.1), we
obtain
# $ 0 t 0 t#
1
2 2 = pi
2
dt$ $$ ).
dt$$ 2 (t
De 0 0
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 26
Or, taking the second partial derivative with respect to time, this yields
# $ 2
1
22
= pi
2
2 . (1.62)
De t2
Considering perturbations
+ whose
, scale lengths are long compared to the electron
Debye length 2 << 1/2De , the equation governing potential perturbations
in the intermediate frequency regime becomes simply
2
c2S 2 = 0, ion acoustic wave equation, (1.63)
t2
in which
Te ni qi2 Zi Te
c2S = pi
2
2De = = . (1.64)
mi ne qe2 mi
As indicated in the last equality, for a plasma with a single ion component
ni qi2 = Zi ne e2 so that c2S = Zi Te /mi . The quantity cS has the units of a speed
and as we will see below is the speed of ion acoustic (or sound) waves in a
plasma. It is given numerically by
& '
Zi Te Zi Te (eV)
cS $ 104 m/s, ion acoustic speed, (1.65)
mi Ai
in which Ai is the atomic mass of the ions in the plasma: Ai mi /mp . Here,
we have used the subscript S on c to indicate that these ion acoustic waves
are the natural sound (S) waves that occur in a plasma. The relation of ion
acoustic waves to normal sound waves in a neutral gas are discussed at the last
of this section, and their relation to the sound waves in a magnetohydrodynamic
description of a plasma is discussed in Section 7.2.
Equation (1.63) is a wave equation. In one dimension, say the x direction,
general solutions of it are given by a linear combination of arbitrary functions
f1 , f2 of its mathematical characteristics x cS t:
t) = C1 f1 (x cS t) + C2 f2 (x + cS t),
(x,
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 27
wpi
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 28
Setting this #S to zero to obtain the normal modes of the plasma readily
yields the dispersion relation for ion acoustic waves given in (1.67). This di-
electric function diverges for either 0 or k 0. Thus, again, the plasma
dielectric is only a meaningful quantity for temporal and spatially varying per-
turbations, i.e., not for an infinite, homogeneous equilibrium. Also, since #S
is real for all real k, (i.e.,the electron and ion components of the polariza-
tion are in phase or 180 out of phase with the electric field perturbation), this
intermediate frequency response is also totally reactive (i.e., not dissipative).
Ion acoustic waves are similar to but somewhat different from ordinary sound
waves in a neutral gas. Ordinary sound waves are compressible (V ,= 0
where V is the perturbed flow velocity) mass density perturbations induced by
momentum perturbations propagated by the collisionally coupled flow of the
neutral gas molecules or atoms in response to pressure perturbations see
Section1A.6. They propagate
1 at a hydrodynamic (H) phase speed given by
S =
cH pn /m = Tn /mn in which = (N + 2)/N is the ratio of the
specific heats, N is the number of degrees of freedom, and pn , m , Tn and Mn
are the neutral gas pressure, mass density, temperature and mass, respectively.
In an electron-proton plasma with Te >> Ti , ion acoustic waves propagate via
longitudinal ( E ,= 0) electric field perturbations, which as we will see in
Section 7.2 also lead to compressible flow perturbations V ,= 0, in which
the adiabatic electron polarization charge density is balanced by an inertial
ion polarization
1 charge density. Ion acoustic waves propagate at a phase speed
cS = Te /mi with the electron temperature coming from the adiabatic electron
Debye shielding and the ion mass coming from the ion inertia. Thus, the physical
mechanism responsible for ion acoustic wave propagation in a plasma is different
from that of sound waves in a neutral gas even though they are both carried by
incompressible flow perturbations collisions couple the atoms or molecules in
a neutral gas whereas the electric field couples electrons and ions together in a
plasma. The ion acoustic speed in a Te >> Ti plasma does not, like ordinary
sound waves, depend on the ratio of specific heats or dimensionality of the
system because it is a one-demensional electric field perturbation rather
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 29
than the collisionally-coupled flow in a neutral gas that propagates ion acoustic
waves in a plasma.
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 30
2Et
2 t = 0.
+ pe Et c2 2 E (1.75)
t2
This equation is the same as (1.44), which we obtained for electrostatic (or
t
longitudinal electric field) perturbations, except for the presence of the c2 2 E
term, which leads to light wave solutions for pe 0. Thus, (1.75) embodies
2
E t ei(kxt) .
t (x, t) = E (1.76)
This dispersion relation is plotted in Fig. 1.9. Since for these waves /k is
greater than the speed of light and hence, for a nonrelativistic plasma, the ther-
mal speeds of both the ions and electrons, it was valid for us to use the inertial
response that we utilized in (1.74). In the short wavelength limit (k >> c/pe )
the inertial plasma effects become negligible and we have regular light waves
with $ ck. For longer wavelengths (k < pe /c), but still high enough fre-
quency so that > pe , the waves have the dispersion characteristics shown
in Fig. 1.9. For pe /c >> k, the waves become electromagnetic plasma oscilla-
tions with $ pe . For < pe , the wavenumber k becomes imaginary; this
indicates that transverse electric field perturbations are spatially evanescent in
this regime. In the limit << pe we have k $ i pe /c.
To make the properties of electromagnetic waves in a plasma more concrete,
we consider the propagation of electromagnetic waves from a vacuum into a
plasma. As shown in Fig. 1.10, we consider a situation in which the infinite
half-space where x > 0 is filled with plasma while the infinite half-space where
x < 0 is a vacuum. A wave of frequency is launched from x = in the +x
direction toward the plasma and is incident (I) on the plasma at x = 0. It will
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 31
wpe
in which for simplicity we have assumed that the incident wave has linear po-
larization in the y direction.
In general, part of this wave will be transmitted into the plasma at the
vacuum-plasma interface at x = 0. We take the transmitted (T ) wave to be of
the form
in which the polarization has again been taken to be in the y direction because
the presence of the plasma does not change the wave polarization. In addition,
part of the wave will be reflected; we take the reflected (R) wave to be of the
form
The magnetic field accompanying each of these waves is obtained from Fara-
= ikE
days law (1.71) for wave solutions of the form (1.76): i B t = Bz =
ez (k
y / = k E
ey ) E y /. The boundary conditions at the vacuum-plasma
y and magnetic field B
interface (x = 0) are that the electric field E z must be
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 32
Vacuum!Region Plasma!Region
w!>>!wpe
kI kT
kR
w!<<!wpe
kI
kR
x!=!0
from the plasma; the part that does penetrate into the plasma is exponentially
evanescent in the electromagnetic skin depth distance c/pe
.
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 33
E R = E
I + E T ,
9 :
(k0 /) EI E
R = (kT /) E
T .
Solving these equations for the relative magnitudes of the transmitted and re-
flected waves, we find
T
E 2k0 2
transmitted: = = > ,
EI k0 + kT + 2 pe
2
>
R
E k0 kT 2 pe
2
reflected: = = > .
I
E k0 + kT + 2 2 pe
the physically relevant solution since it leads to evanescence (spatial decay not
due to a dissipative process) in space for x > 0. In the limit << pe the
incident wave is mostly reflected and the small component of the wave that is
transmitted into the plasma is given by
E T exp[x/(c/pe ) it],
t $ E << pe . (1.81)
becomes just the electromagnetic skin depth c/pe in the limit << pe .
A major diagnostic application of the properties of electromagnetic waves in
a plasma is their use in a microwave interferometer to determine the density of
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 34
reference!leg
attenuator
microwave
source
phase
L
detector
plasma
x
0
a plasma see Fig. 1.11. The difference in the phase between the wave that
passes through a reference vacuum leg versus the wave that passes through a
leg with a plasma in it is given by
>
0 L 0 L 2 (x)
2 pe
= dx [kI kT (x)] = dx .
0 0 c
Since the square of the electron plasma frequency is proportional to the local
plasma density, the measurement of this phase shift determines the line integral
of the electron density in the plasma. For example, microwave interferometers
with frequencies in the 50 200 GHz range are commonly used to measure the
(L
e (1/L) 0 dx ne (x) of plasmas with electron densities
line-average density n
in the 1018 1020 m3 range. For some other applications in which the properties
of electromagnetic waves in plasmas are important see Problems 1.271.29.
DRAFT 10:26
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 35
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 36
Plasma!Frequency!fpe!(Hz)
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
6
10
10-11!m
magnetic
fusion
inertial
fusion
104
magnetic!confinement
10
10
experiments
magneto-
earths
sphere
experiments
confinement
inertial
Temperature!(eV)
2
corona
10
solar
5
10
0
10
solar!atmosphere
discharges
interplanetary
glow
generators
MHD
1
flames
partially
sphere
iono-
ionized
interstellar
alkali!metal
plasmas
10-2
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
Electron!Density!(m-3)
Figure 1.12: Ranges of electron temperature and density for various types of lab-
oratory and extraterrestial plasmas. Also shown are the characteristic plasma
parameters: electron Debye length De (constant along the dashed lines), num-
ber of charged particles in a Debye cube ne 3De (constant along solid lines), and
electron plasma frequency pe (constant along vertical lines). Also indicated is
the electron temperature range below which the medium is not fully ionized,
which is determined from the Saha equation [see Section A.7 and in particular
(??) and (??)].
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 37
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 38
Within the approximations employed in this chapter, all the basic phenom-
ena in plasmas that we have discussed are reactive with no dissipation. Dissi-
pation would be caused by polarization components that are 90 out of phase
with the electric field perturbations, which for exp (ik x it) perturbations
would be indicated by an imaginary part of the dielectric #.
Implicitly, we have been considering the plasma to be collisionless. Pre-
suming collisions with neutrals are negligible (p >> n ), there are two types
of effects that lead to evanescence of waves in a plasma Coulomb collisions,
which will be discussed in Chapter 2, and wave-particle resonance effects (Lan-
dau damping), which will be discussed in Chapter 8. Since the thermal noise
fluctuation energy induced by two-particle
+ correlations
, (or Coulomb collisions)
in a plasma is only a small fraction 1/ n3D << 1 of the thermal energy in
a plasma, we can anticipate
+ that
, the average Coulomb collision frequency will
also be small: p / n3D << p . Cumulative small-angle Coulomb + , colli-
sions enhance the Coulomb collision rate by a factor of order ln n3D see
Chapter 2 but do not change the basic conclusion that the Coulomb collision
rate is slow in a plasma as long as n3D >> 1. The wave-particle resonance
effects will be largest when kvT , i.e., when 1the wave phase speed /k is
of order the most probable thermal speed vT 2T /m of one of the species
of charged particles in a plasma. Thus, wave-particle resonance effects will lead
to evanescence of waves (Landau damping) for /k vT i or vT e . These wave
phase speeds and corresponding frequencies are between the frequency ranges
we have considered in this chapter and require a kinetic plasma description.
Wave-particle resonance effects and Landau damping are discussed in Chapter
8, and in particular in Section 8.2.
DRAFT 10:26
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!J.D Callen, Fundamentals of Plasma Physics
CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 39
Recent books that discuss the various types of plasmas indicated in Fig. 1.12,
some of which are beyond the scope of this book, include
Magnetically confined plasmas for controlled fusion:
Rose and Clark, Jr., Plasmas and Controlled Fusion (1961) [?].
Miyamoto, Plasma Physics for Nuclear Fusion (1980) [?].
Miyamoto, Fundamentals of Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion (1997) [?].
Stacey, Fusion Plasma Analysis (1981) [?].
Teller, ed., Fusion (1981), Vol. I, Parts A & B [?].
Nishikawa and Wakatani, Plasma Physics, Basic Theory with Fusion Applica-
tions (1990) [?].
Hazeltine and Meiss, Plasma Confinement (1992) [?].
White, Theory of Tokamak Plasmas (1989) [?].
Goldston and Rutherford, Introduction to Plasma Physics (1995) [?].
Space plasmas:
Parks, Physics of Space Plasmas, An Introduction (1991) [?].
Gombosi, Physics of the Space Environment (1998) [?].
Cosmic plasmas:
Alfven and F
althammer, Cosmical Electrodynamics, Fundamental Principles
(1963) [?].
Parker, Cosmical Magnetic Fields, Their Origin And Their Activity (1979) [?].
Sturrock, Plasma Physics, An introduction to the theory of astrophysical, geo-
physical, and laboratory plasmas (1994) [?].
Choudhuri, The Physics of Fluids and Plasmas, An Introduction for Astrophysi-
cists (1998) [?].
Nonneutral plasmas:
Davidson, Physics of Nonneutral Plasmas (1990) [?].
Marshall, Free Electron Lasers (1985) [?].
DRAFT 10:26
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 40
PROBLEMS
1/3
1.1 Evaluate the scale lengths bclmin , ne and De for an electron-proton plasma
in a typical small-scale magnetic confinement experiment (e.g., a university-
based tokamak) with ne = 2 1019 m3 , Te = Ti = 300 eV. Compare them
to the Bohr radius, de Broglie wavelength, and the classical electron radius
re = e2 /({4#0 }me c2 ). Discuss the physical significance of each of these scale
lengths. Over what length scale will collective effects occur in such a plasma? /
1.2 Calculate the plasma parameter n3D for the plasma described in the preceding
problem. Estimate the effective temperature for thermal noise in such a plasma.
Compare this thermal noise temperature to normal room temperature. /
1.3 Consider a hypothetical situation in which all the electrons in a homogeneous
and quasineutral but bounded plasma are displaced a small distance x in the ex
direction. Show that in the bulk of the plasma the electric field is unchanged,
but that in a layer of width x at the plasma edge there is an electric field.
How large a displacement x induces a maximum potential change equal to the
electron temperature in the plasma? Compare this length to the electron Debye
length De and discuss why such a comparison is relevant. //
1.4 Determine the one-dimensional potential distribution in a plasma around an
infinite sheet charge with a one-dimensional surface test charge density given
by q = t (x xt ). ///
1.5 Show that for a two-dimensional situation of an appropriately modified form of
(1.7) the potential around a line charge in a plasma is given by
in which t is the line charge density (coulombs/m) for a line charge of infinite
length placed at x = xt and K0 is the modified Bessel function of the second
kind of order zero. ///
1.6 Show that the potential given by (1.10) is the Green function for the adiabatic
(Debye shielding) response to a free charge density free (x) in an infinite, homo-
geneous plasma, and thus that the general potential solution is given by
0
free (x" ) exp(|x x" |/D )
(x) = d3x" .
{4#0 } |x x" |
Discuss the physical scale lengths over which this Greens function solution is
valid. Compare this result to the corresponding potential induced by a charge
density in vacuum given in (??). ///
1.7 Show that the combination of the charge of a test particle and the polarization
charge density it induces produces a vanishing net charge Q in the plasma. //
1.8 A spherical spacecraft orbiting the earth in a geostationary orbit finds itself
immersed in a plasma that typically has an electron density of about 106 m3
and temperature of about 100 eV. Sketch the spatial variation of the electric
potential around the spacecraft, indicating the magnitudes of the potential and
spatial scale lengths involved. To what potential does the spacecraft charge up
relative to its surroundings? /
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 41
in which is the potential difference (voltage) between the two probes. //*
1.12 The static electrical admittance Y (inverse of impedance Z) of a sheath is
given by I/B . At what bias potential B should this partial derivative
be evaluated? Show that the sheath admittance is given approximately by
Y # I/(Te /e). Up to what frequency will this estimate be valid? //*
1.13 For large negative wall potentials (|W | >> Te /e) applied between two grids
in a planar diode the electrical current is limited by space charge effects. De-
rive the Child-Langmuir law for this limiting current for a grid separation d as
follows. First, using (1.27) show that when the sheath thickness xS d and
W , the ion speed V that corresponds to the space-charge-limited ion
flow at the sheath edge can be written in terms of the wall potential W and
the grid separation d. Then, show that the (ion) current density into the sheath
region between the grids is given by
& # $# 2 $
4 2e #0 |W |3/2 4 D
J= = (ne eVW )
9 mi d2 9 d2
in which VW (2e|W |/mi )1/2 is the ion speed at the wall, and D =
(#0 |W |/ne e)1/2 is an effective Debye length. //*
1.14 In the Plasma Source Ion Implantation (PSII) technique [J.R. Conrad, J.L.
Radtke, R.A. Dodd, F.J. Worzola, N.C. Tran, J. Appl. Phys. 62, 4591 (1987)],
the target to be bombarded is inserted into a plasma with parameters ne
109 cm3 and Te 2 eV, and a natural sheath is allowed to form around it.
Then, the target is rapidly biased to a very large ( 30 kV) negative potential
B . This expels the lighter electrons from the region around the object, which
in turn causes an ion matrix to be formed there. On what time scales are
the electrons expelled, and the new sheath formed? What is the approximate
maximum energy and current density of the ions bombarding the target before
the new sheath forms? Compare this current density to that given by the Child-
Langmuir law discussed in the preceding problem. Finally, estimate the fluence
(ions/cm2 ) per pulse and the number of pulses required to inject an atomic
monolayer of ions in the target. ///*
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 42
1 (wE )t E)
(J t 2
= #
(wE )t t (wE )t 1 + 2 /pe
2
in which (wE )t is the average of the electrostatic wave energy density in the
plasma over an oscillation period. ///
1.19 Consider a hypothetical situation in which all the electrons in a thin slab are
displaced a small distance x0 in the
ex direction. Show that the electric field
x in the region where
induced by this displacement is given by E = (n0 e/#0 ) x e
the electrons are displaced. Then, show from Newtons second law that this
force causes the position of the slab of displaced electrons to oscillate at the
electron plasma frequency. //
1.20 Taking account of plasma sheath effects, sketch the spatial variation of the
potential (x) between the plates of a capacitor filled with plasma assuming
the capacitor has a potential 3 Te /e applied across it. Next, consider a
case where an oscillating potential = 0 sin t is applied across the plasma
capacitor with 0 = 10 Te /e and = pe /10. If the capacitor plate separation
is L (>> D ), how large is the electric field component oscillating at frequency
in the body of the plasma? //
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 43
1.21 Show that for a one-dimensional wave perturbation in a plasma with E(x, t) =
E ex sin(kx t) the nonlinear terms in (1.31) are negligible in (1.32) when the
wave-induced velocity jitter in the particle motion, vjitter q E/m, is small
compared to the wave phase speed /k, or alternatively when k xjitter << 1. //
1.22 Consider the propagation of ion acoustic waves in a typical hollow cathode arc
discharge composed of electrons and doubly charged Argon ions with ne = 1019
m3 , Te = 10 eV, Ti = 1 eV. Discuss why the conditions for propagation of
ion acoustic waves are satisfied in this plasma. What is the ion acoustic speed
in this plasma? Compare it to the speed of sound in air at the earths surface.
With what wavelength and phase speed will externally imposed waves with a
frequency of 100 MHz propagate in this plasma? /
1.23 Show that the transverse electric field E t induced by a small free current Jfree
in a plasma is governed by the equation
# 2 $ 2
pe t 1 Et = 0 Jfree .
2 2 E
c c t2
2 t
Then, show that a Greens function solution of this equation in an infinite,
homogeneous plasma which satisfies this equation is
0 " # $%
t = 0 Jfree (x" , t" )/t" |x x" |
E d3x" exp
4 |x x" | c/pe ret
in which the square bracket [ ]ret means that the time t" is to be evaluated at
the retarded time t" = t |x x" |/c. ///
1.24 Use the solution in the preceding problem to calculate the transverse electric
t caused by the current qt v[x x(t)] produced by a nonrelativistic test
field E
particle moving along the trajectory x = x(t) in a plasma. Show that this
transverse electric field points in the direction of test particle motion. Also,
show that for |x x(t)| < D its magnitude is of order v 2 /c2 << 1 compared
to the longitudinal electric field produced by the electrostatic potential t in
(1.10). ///
1.25 Plot the wave dispersion diagrams for electrostatic ion acoustic waves and elec-
tromagnetic plasma waves (i.e., Figs. 1.8 and 1.9) in the plasma described in
Problem 1.22 on a single versus k diagram with approximately linear scales.
Indicate in which regions of this diagram adiabatic and inertial responses for
the electrons and ions are applicable. /
1.26 A 140 GHz microwave interferometer set up across a 30 cm thick column of
plasma measures a phase shift of 240 . What is the line-average plasma
density in the column? /
1.27 Amateur radio operators routinely communicate via shortwave radio over long
distances around the earth. Since communication by direct line of sight is not
possible because of the curvature of the earths surface, the waves must be re-
flected from the ionosphere above the earths surface. What frequency range
corresponds to the 10 to 40 meter free space wavelength range used by ama-
teur radio operators for these communications? What is the minimum electron
density and height of the ionosphere above the earths surface for single-bounce
communications over the approximately 6000 km from the United States to
Western Europe? /
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CHAPTER 1. COLLECTIVE PLASMA PHENOMENA 44
1.28 During reentry of satellites into the earths upper atmosphere, microwave com-
munications in the 300 MHz frequency range are blacked out by the plasma
formed in the heated air around the satellite. How high must the plasma den-
sity be around the satellite and how thick must the plasma be to cause the
communications blackout? /
1.29 In one type of inertial fusion experiment, intense light from a laser is shined on
a frozen hydrogen pellet. As the laser light is absorbed it heats up the pellet
and produces a plasma on its surface. Light from a Neodynium glass laser ( =
1.06 m) is ultimately observed to be reflected from the pellet. How high must
the density of free electrons be in the plasma around the pellet? Compare
this density to the original solid density of the pellet. How thick must the layer
of free electrons be to reflect (or refract) the light waves? Compare this length
to a typical pellet radius of 3 mm. /
1.30 In plasma processing of materials for the semiconductor industry an inert, low
pressure gas is partially ionized by radiofrequency waves in a vacuum chamber.
Consider a case where the initial gas is Argon at a pressure of 104 mm Hg (a
760 mm column of mercury corresponds to atmospheric pressure), the electron
density is 107 cm3 , the electron temperature is 3 eV and the temperature of the
singly charged Argon ions is 0.1 eV. What is the degree of ionization in this gas?
Estimate the electron-neutral collision frequency en using an electron-neutral
cross-section of 103 a20 where a0 is the Bohr radius. Does this medium satisfy
all the criteria for being a plasma? How large must it be to satisfy the length
criterion? /
1.31 An oscillating potential of 3 volts at a frequency of 1 MHz is applied to a probe
inserted into the plasma described in Problem 1.9. Over what distance ranges
from the probe can adiabatic or inertial responses be used for the electrons and
for the ions in this plasma? /
1.32 What is the dielectric constant for externally imposed waves with a frequency
of 1 MHz and a wavelength of 5 cm in the plasma described in problem 1.9?
What would the dielectric constant be if the wavelength was increased to 500
cm? /
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 1
Chapter 2
Coulomb Collisions
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 2
+ ++ + o+ -
o --
- + - -
+ o -
-+ - - + - + - -
- +- + -+ + +
+ -+
o
+ +o +
-
+ - + o+
+ + +
+
o- + o
o o +- + o +
- + + +
+ + ---
+ o + + + +
+ + - -
- - - -
- + o
+- + +- -+
- - - + + - -
+
-+o + + + --
- o
o - - o
-
+ - -+ + - -
- +- - o
-
- o -
- -
Figure 2.1: The trajectory of a neutral particle in a partially ionized gas exhibits
straight-line motion between abrupt atomic collisions. In this and the next
figure, the (assumed stationary) random positions of background particles in
the partially ionized plasma that the incident test particle could interact with
are indicated as follows: neutral particles (circles), electrons (minus signs) and
ions (plus signs).
+ ++ + o+ -
o --
- + - -
+ o -
-+ - - + - + - -
- +- + -+ + +
_ + + +o -+
o + + -
- + + o+
+ + +
o- + o
o +- + o +
- + + +
+ + ---
+ o + + + +
+ + - -
- - - -
- + o
+- + + --+
-
- + - + + - -
- + -
-- o
o
- +o + + - + - -
+
o
-
+ - -
- +- - o
-
- o -
- -
DRAFT 14:53
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 3
Coulomb collision processes follows that developed in Chapter 13 of Jackson, Classical Elec-
trodynamics, 1st and 2nd Editions (1962, 1975).
DRAFT 14:53
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 4
electron
b!cos!
b
v
vt ion z
b!sin!
Figure 2.3: Geometry for considering the Coulomb collision of an electron having
charge qe = e with an ion of charge qi = Zi e. The ion is placed at the origin
of the coordinate system, which in the electron rest frame is moving in the ez
direction at the electron speed v. The electron passes the ion at a distance b at
the closest point, which occurs at t = 0.
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 5
1 2Zi2 e4
v$ & v v = . (2.6)
2v {4%0 }2 m2e b2 v 3
Note that while v is a first order quantity in terms of the weak Coulomb
electric field between the two particles given in (2.2), v$ is a second order
quantity, as evidenced by the square of the {4%0 } factor in the denominator.
The result in (2.6) can also be obtained directly by integrating the Coulomb
electric field force along a perturbed (by the Coulomb collision) trajectory rather
than the straight-line electron trajectory that was assumed in the preceding
analysis see Problem 2.5.
Next, we take account of the entire background distribution of ions, assuming
that the electron collisions with individual ions are statistically random and
thus that their effects can be summed independently. For a density ni of ions,
adopting a cylindrical geometry in which the radius is b and the azimuthal
' angle
is , the number of ions passed by the electron per unit time is ni d3x/dt =
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 6
constant
energy
surface
v!+!v
v
v
v"
Figure 2.4: Change in electron velocity vector from v before the Coulomb colli-
sion to v + v afterward. The change takes place at constant electron energy,
which means constant radius in this diagram, and hence results in v$ < 0.
tions) that have the same number of particles and macroscopic parameters (e.g., density n,
temperature T ) but whose particle positions vary randomly from one realization to the next
see Section A.5.
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 7
from the value given in (2.2) for distances larger than the Debye length (cf.,
Fig. ??):
bmax = D . (2.8)
To estimate the minimum impact parameter bmin , we note that when the
Coulomb potential energy qe qi /({4%0 }|x|) becomes as large as the electron
kinetic energy me v 2 /2: v$ becomes comparable to |v |, the scattering angle
becomes 90o [see Eq. (??)], and our weak interaction approximations ( break
(
down. Hence, we determine a classical minimum impact parameter by (v$ ( =
|v |, which yields
Zi e2 Zi e2 Zi Zi
min =
bcl & = & 4.8 1010 m. (2.9)
{4%0 }(me v )
2 {4%0 }(3Te ) 12ne De
2 Te
h h 1
bqm
min & & 1.1 1010 1/2 m. (2.10)
2me v 4me vT e Te (eV)
The relevant minimum impact parameter bmin is the maximum of the classical
and quantum-mechanical minimum impact parameters. Quantum-mechanical
effects dominate for Te > 20 Z 2 eV.
i
With these specifications of the limits of integration, the impact parameter
integral in (2.7) can be written as
% bmax # $
db D ) qm *
ln = ln , bmin = max bcl
min , bmin ,
bmin b bmin
Coulomb logarithm. (2.11)
definition of the quantum-mechanical minimum impact parameter, but then the argument
of the Coulomb logarithm in (2.11) is multiplied by a factor of 2 when quantum-mechanical
effects dominate.
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 8
becomes
# $ # $
D 12 ne 3De
ln = ln
cl
& ln . (2.12)
bcl
min Zi
Since the definition of a plasma (cf., Section 1.8) requires that ne 3De >>>> 1,
plasmas have ln cl >> 1. For example, typical magnetic fusion experiments in
laboratory plasmas have n3D 106 , and hence ln 17.
Having defined the impact parameter integral in (2.7), the total Coulomb
collisional force on a test electron along its direction of motion thus becomes
+ ,
dv$ )v$ * 4ni Zi2 e4
me = )F$ * = me = ln me v$ = me v$ . (2.13)
dt t {4%0 }2 m2e v 3
The Coulomb collisional drag force in the last form of this equation is called the
dynamical friction force because it is proportional to the test particle velocity.
Here, we have defined a net momentum loss or slowing down4 Coulomb collision
frequency for a particle of speed v in the Lorentz collision model:
# $3/2
4 ne Zi e4 ln ln (12 ne 3De /Zi ) Te
(v) & pe ,
2
{4%0 } me v2 3 4 ne 3De /Zi me v 2
Lorentz collision frequency. (2.14)
Here, compared to the form given in the next to last form in (2.13), we have
taken into account the condition for quasineutrality in a plasma: ne = Zi ni .
Note from the last form in (2.14) that the electron collision frequency is smaller
than the electron plasma frequency by a very large factor [ 1/(ne 3De ), which
is by definition a small number in a plasma]. The Lorentz collision frequency
can also be shown to be given by (v) = ni m v in which m = 4 (bcl min ) ln
2
directed momentum see Problem 2.4 It is thus unfortunate and rather misleading that the
Lorentz collision frequency is often called a slowing down frequency in plasma physics.
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 9
b> bmax = D yield order unity corrections to the ln ln (bmax /bmin ) factor
in (2.14). However, because these corrections are small and quite complicated,
it is customary to neglect them in most plasma physics calculations. Thus,
the Coulomb collision momentum loss frequency given in (2.14) and the other
Coulomb collision processes calculated in this chapter should be assumed to be
accurate to within factors of order 1/(ln ) 5 10%; evaluation of Coulomb
collision processes and their effects to greater accuracy is unwarranted.
Finally, we use our result for the Coulomb collision frictional force )F$ * on a
single electron to calculate the net frictional force on a drifting Maxwellian dis-
tribution of electrons flowing slowly (compared to their thermal speed) through
a background of fixed, immobile ions. For a small net flow speed V$ in the ez
direction, the appropriate flow-shifted Maxwellian distribution for electrons is5
# #$3/2 $
me me |v V$
ez |2
fM e (v) = ne exp
2Te 2Te
# $3/2 + ,
me 2 me v$ V$
& ne eme v /2Te 1 + +
2Te Te
v 2 /vT2 + ,
ne e e 2 v$ V$
= 1 + 2 + , (2.15)
3/2 vT3 e vT e
This is the average momentum relaxation rate for the slowly flowing Maxwellian
distribution of electrons. Since many transport processes arise from collisional
relaxations of flows in a plasma, this average or reference electron collision
5 Here, and throughout this text, a capital letter V (V) will indicate the average flow speed
(velocity) of an entire species of particles while a small letter v (v) will indicate the speed
(velocity) of a particular particle, or a particular position in velocity space.
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 10
While the ensemble average perpendicular force vanishes, because of the ran-
domness of the impact angle , velocity-space deflections caused by Coulomb
collisions do have an effect in the perpendicular direction. Namely, they lead
to diffusion of the test particle velocity v. For a general discussion of diffusive
processes see Section A.5.
The temporal evolution of the velocity of a test particle as it undergoes ran-
dom Coulomb collisions with background ions is illustrated in Fig. 2.5. While for
long times (many Coulomb collisions) the average of the perpendicular velocity
component vx vanishes ()vx * = 0), its square and the reduction of the velocity
component in the original direction of motion increase approximately linearly
with time )vx2 * & ()vx2 */t) t [see Eq. (??)] and v0 vz ()v$ */t) t.
The fact that the average of vx2 increases linearly with time while the average
of vx vanishes indicates a diffusive process for the x (perpendicular) component
of the test particle velocity. Because there is no preferred direction in the plane
perpendicular to the original direction of motion, we have )vx2 * = )vy2 * = )v2
*/2
= (1/2)()v 2
*/t) t; hence there is velocity diffusion equally in both the x and
y directions.
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 11
Figure 2.5: Temporal evolution of vx , vx2 and vz components of the test particle
velocity as it undergoes random Coulomb collisions with background ions. Note
that for times long compared to an individual Coulomb collision time the average
of vx vanishes, but vx2 and v0 vz increase approximately linearly with time t.
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 12
Thus, as can be inferred from (2.5), and from Figs. 2.4 and 2.5, in the Lorentz
scattering model the rate of velocity diffusion ()v
2
*/v 2 t) for the test electron
is twice the rate of momentum loss ()v$ */vt). Note that for the collisional
process being considered the velocity diffusion takes place at constant energy
and in directions perpendicular to the test particle velocity v; there is no speed
(energy) diffusion in the Lorentz collision model because the background parti-
cles (ions here) are assumed to be immobile and hence to not exchange energy
with the test electron.
In the spherical velocity space we are using, the pitch-angle through
which the random-scattering, deflections and diffusion take place is defined
by sin v /v = vx2 + vy2 /v. Since the Coulomb collision process is a small-
angle random walk or diffusion process, the time required to diffuse the test
particle velocity vector through a small angle & v /v << 1 is much less than
the Lorentz collision model (momentum loss) time 1/, which is effectively the
time scale for scattering through 90 see Problem 2.12 for a specific example.
From (2.19) we can infer that collisional scattering through an angle << 1
(but must be greater than the for any individual Coulomb interaction so
a diffusive description applies) occurs in a time [see Fig. 2.5 and (??)]
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 13
t; it indicates that ft is reduced by a factor of e1/2 & 0.61 for diffusion over
a pitch-angle of << 1 in the short time t 2 / indicated in (2.20). The
velocity-space diffusion properties of Coulomb collision processes are explored
in greater detail in Chapter 11.
The dynamical friction and diffusion coefficients for the Lorentz collision
model can be written in a coordinate-independent, vectorial form as follows.
First, note that the parallel or z direction here is defined to be in the initial
ez v/v. Thus, we can write the dynamical friction
electron velocity direction:
force coefficient due to Coulomb collisions in the form
)v* )v$ *
= ez = (v) v.
(2.22)
t t
Similarly, because velocity diffusion occurs equally in all directions perpendicu-
lar to v, we have )vx2 */t = )vy2 */t = (1/2))v 2
*/t; hence the (second
rank tensor) diffusion coefficient can be written as
)v v* )vx2 * )vy2 * 1 )v
2
*
=
ex ex + ey =
ey ( ex +
ex ey )
ey
t t t 2 t
= (v) (v 2 I vv) (2.23)
in which I is the identity tensor [see Eq. (??)]. These forms for )v*/t and
)vv*/t will be useful in Section 11.1 where we will develop a Lorentz
Coulomb collision operator for use in plasma kinetic theory.
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 14
2ne e3 ln e ( 12 ln ) me vT e (vT e )
ED = = , Dreicer field (2.28)
2
{4%0 } Te {4%0 }2De eZi
is a critical electric field strength, which, as indicated, is often called the Dreicer
field.6 For weak electric fields (|E| << ED ), the energy at which electron
6 H. Dreicer, Proceedings of the Second United Nations International Conference on the
Peaceful Use of Atomic Energy (United Nations, Geneva, 1958), Vol. 31, p. 57. See also,
Phys. Rev. 115, 238 (1959).
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 15
Force
runaway
electrons
e|E|
Figure 2.6: Relative strengths of the electric field e|E| and dynamical friction
Se (v)me v forces on an electron as a function of the electron speed v. Runaway
electrons occur when the electric field force exceeds the dynamical friction force.
runaways occur is far out on the high energy tail of the Maxwellian electron
distribution and only an exponentially small fraction of electrons run away see
Problem 2.13. [For relativistic electron energies the dynamical friction decreases
less rapidly than 1/v 2 and no runaways are produced for a weak electric field
satisfying |E|/ED < 2Te /(me c2 ) see Problem 2.14.] High Zi ions increase the
energy for electron runaway relative to that for protons because they increase
the frictional drag due to Coulomb collisions. Note also from the middle form
of the critical electric field defined in (2.28) that its magnitude is roughly (to
within a factor of 12 ln 10) what is required to substantially distort the
Coulomb electric field around a given ion [cf., (2.2)] at distances of order the
Debye length. Alternatively, it can be seen from the last form in (2.28) that
the Dreicer field is approximately the electric field strength at which typical,
thermal energy electrons with v vT e in a Maxwellian distribution become
runaways see Problem 2.15 for a more precise estimate. Thus, when the
electric field is larger than the Dreicer field, the entire distribution of electrons
responds primarily to the electric field and collisional effects are small.
For weak electric fields |E| << ED , most of the plasma electrons will be only
slightly accelerated by the E field before Coulomb collisions relax the momentum
they gain. However, the velocity distribution of electrons will acquire a net flow
Ve in response to the E field. Since the electric field has much less effect on
the more massive ions, the plasma ions will acquire a much smaller [by a factor
(me /mi )1/2 < 1/43 << 1] flow, which can be neglected. Thus, the electron
flow in response to the electric field will correspond to an electric current flowing
in the plasma. The proportionality constant between the current and the electric
field is the plasma electrical conductivity, which we will now determine.
For electrons with a flow-shifted Maxwellian distribution as in (2.15) that
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 16
in which
ne e2 1
0 = , reference (subscript 0) plasma electrical conductivity,
me e
(2.31)
where is the plasma resistivity. The electron collision frequency that enters
this formula is e , which is the (electron-ion) Lorentz collision frequency (2.14)
averaged over a flowing Maxwellian distribution of electrons given in (2.17). (In
this analysis the electron Coulomb collision frequency is assumed to be much
greater than the electron-neutral collision frequency. See Problems 2.19, 2.20
for situations where this assumption is not valid and the electrical conductivity
3/2
is modified.) Note also that since ne /e Te , the electrical conductivity in a
3/2
plasma increases as Te an inverse dependence compared to solid conductors
whose electrical conductivity decreases with temperature. The conductivity in
plasmas increases with electron temperature because the noise level [see (??)]
and collision frequency [see (2.17)] decrease with increasing electron temperature
and Debye length. For some perspectives on the magnitude and effects of the
electrical conductivity in plasmas, see Problems 2.162.18.
In a more complete, kinetic analysis with the Lorentz collision model (see
Section 11.4), the electric field distorts the electron distribution function more
than indicated by the simple flow effect in (2.15). Specifically, we can infer
from (2.25) and (2.26) that higher energy electrons receive larger momentum
input from the electric field because the Coulomb collision dynamical friction
force decreases as v 2 . Thus, the current is carried mainly by higher energy
(v 2 vT e ), more collisionless electrons than is embodied in the simple flow-
shifted Maxwellian distribution. Since the collision frequency decreases as 1/v 3 ,
the average collision frequency is reduced, by a factor of 3/32 & 0.2945 e ;
hence the electrical conductivity in a kinetic Lorentz collision model is increased
relative to that given in (2.31) by the factor 1/e .
Electron-electron collisions are momentum conserving for the electron dis-
tribution function as a whole. Thus, they do not contribute directly to the
momentum loss process or the plasma electrical conductivity. However, since in
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 17
a kinetic description the electric field distorts the electron distribution function
away from a flow-shifted Maxwellian, electron-electron collisions have an indi-
rect effect of reducing the net flow (and electrical conductivity) in response to
the electric field as they try to force the electron distribution to be as close
to a Maxwellian as possible. Details of this process will be discussed in Section
12.3.
The net result of these kinetic and electron-electron effects, which is obtained
from a complete, kinetic analysis that was first solved numerically by Spitzer
and H arm,7 is that the effective electron collision frequency is reduced by a
generalized factor e . Thus, the electrical conductivity becomes
ne e2 0
Sp = = , Spitzer electrical conductivity. (2.32)
me e e e
The generalized factor e ranges from 0.5129 for Zi = 1 to 3/32 & 0.2945
for Zi (Lorentz kinetic model). A later analytic fluid moment analysis8
has shown that this factor can be approximated to three significant figures (see
Section 12.3?), which is much more accuracy than warranted by the intrinsic
< 10%) of the Coulomb collision operator, by
accuracy ( 1/ ln
1 + 1.198Zi + 0.222Zi2
e & . (2.33)
1 + 2.966Zi + 0.753Zi2
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 18
As indicated in (2.16) and (2.29), the net Coulomb collisional force density
on a Maxwellian distribution of electrons flowing relative to the ions is
ne e J
Re me ne e (Ve Vi ) = , collisional friction force density.
(2.34)
This is the electron force density that was introduced in the electron fluid mo-
mentum balance given in (2.29). Note also from a temporal solution of (2.29)
that the electron flow (momentum) will relax exponentially to its equilibrium
value at the rate e , i.e., on the electron time scale e = 1/e . Because Coulomb
collisions are momentum conserving, any momentum lost from the electrons
must be gained by the ions. Thus, the Coulomb collisional force density on ions
is given by
Ri = Re . (2.35)
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 19
me ve + mi vi = 0 = vi = (me /mi ) ve .
The energy exchange from electrons to ions initially at rest during a Coulomb
collision will thus be
# $2 # $
mi mi me me me
vi vi = ve ve & v2
.
2 2 mi mi 2
The net energy exchange from a test electron moving through the backgound
stationary ions can thus be evaluated using (2.19):
# $
mi )vi vi * me
= me v 2 (v). (2.37)
2 t mi
Note that this energy exchange rate is slower than the basic Lorentz collision
frequency by a factor of me /mi < 103 << 1, due to the large disparity
between the electron and ion masses.
Integrating this last result over a Maxwellian distribution of the electrons,
the Maxwellian-averaged rate of energy () density transfer from electrons to
e/i
initially stationary background ions ( in Section 2.7) becomes
%
mi )vi vi * e/i me
d3v fM e ne Te = 3 e ne Te .
2 t mi
A more complete analysis (see Section 2.8) shows that if the background ions
have a Maxwellian velocity distribution (instead of being stationary and immo-
bile as they are in the Lorentz model) Te Te Ti in this formula, as would be
expected physically. Thus, the rate of ion energy density increase from Coulomb
collisions with electrons is
e/i me
Qi ne (Te Ti ) = 3 e ne (Te Ti ), ion collisional heating density.
mi
(2.38)
In the absence of other effects, the equation governing ion temperature evolution
[see (??)] becomes
3 dTi me
ni = Qi = 3 e ne (Te Ti ). (2.39)
2 dt mi
Here, (3/2)(ni dTi /dt) represents the rate of increase of ion internal energy in the
plasma. From (2.39) we see that for a constant electron temperature the charac-
teristic time scale on which Coulomb collisions equilibrate the ion temperature
e/i
to the electron temperature is ie = 3/(2 ) = (mi /2me )/e > 103 /e >>
1/e . (For a more precise determination of the temporal evolution of the colli-
sional equilibration of the electron and ion temperatures in a plasma, see Prob-
lem 2.23.)
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 20
Qe = (Ve Vi ) Re Qi = J 2 / Qi . (2.40)
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 21
0
charge needed for charge neutrality: i ni Zi = [0.64 + (0.06)(6)]ne = ne . Both
the deuterium and carbon ion temperatures will be assumed to be 0.5 keV.
In order to calculate the ln factor for the fundamental electron collision rate
we first need to determine the maximum and minimum collisional impact pa-
rameters bmax and bmin . The maximum impact parameter is the overall plasma
Debye length in the plasma which is defined in (??). For our multi-species
plasma the plasma Debye length can be calculated from the electron Debye
length by taking out common factors in the ratio of D to De :
1 31/2
2 ns T e
D De Zs2 , (2.42)
s
ne Ts
which for our plasma yields D = De /[1 + (0.64)(2) + (0.06)(2)(62 )]1/2 &
De /2.6 & 2 105 m. Classical and quantum mechanical minimum im-
pact parameters for electron-deuteron collisions in this plasma are estimated
from (2.9) and (2.10): bcl min = 4.8 10
10
/103 = 1.4 1012 m and bqmmin =
1.1 10 /(10 )
10 3 1/2
= 3.5 10 12
m. Since the quantum mechanical impact
parameter is larger, we use it for bmin and thus have ln ln(D /bqm min ) &
ln[(2 105 )/(3.5 1012 )] & ln(5.7 106 ) & 16. Since the Coulomb collision
frequency is only accurate to order 1/ ln & 1/16 & 0.06, in the following we
will give numerical values to only about 6% accuracy; more accuracy is unwar-
ranted and misleading.
In calculating the electron collision frequency we need to take account of all
the ion species. From (2.17) we see that the electron-ion collision frequency is
proportional to ni Zi2 . Thus, for impure plasmas it is convenient to define
0 2
0 2
i ni Zi i ni Zi
Zeff 0 = , effective ion charge (2.43)
i ni Zi ne
in which the sum is over all ion species in the plasma. Hereafter in this section,
we will designate the main ions with a subscript i and the impurities with
a subscript Z. Then, for our example plasma Zeff (ni Zi2 + nZ ZZ2 )/ne =
0.64(12 ) + (0.06)(62 ) = 2.8. The overall electron collision frequency e defined
in (2.17) for an electron-ion plasma can be written for an impure plasma in
terms of the electron-deuterium (dominant ion with Zi = 1) collision frequency
e/Z =1
e i as follows:
e = Zeff ee/Zi =1 , (2.44)
in which # $
4 2 ne e4 ln 5 1011 ne ln
ee/Zi =1 & s1 . (2.45)
{4%0 }2
1/2 3/2
3 me Te [Te (eV)]3/2 17
e/Z =1
For our example plasma e i & (5 1011 )(2 1019 )(16/17)/(103 )3/2 &
3 104 s1 , which gives e = (2.8)(3 104 ) & 8.4 104 . Hence, for our
example plasma the time scale on which the electron distribution becomes a
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 22
with
# $# $1/2 # $3/2 e/Zi =1
i/i 4 ni Zi4 e4 ln ni Zi4 me Te e
i = , (2.47)
{4%0 }2 3 mi Ti
1/2 3/2 ne mi Ti 2
# $# $1/2
nZ ZZ2 mi
fi 1 + 2 , ion collisions impurity factor. (2.48)
ni Zi2 mZ
For multiple impurity species (Z) one just sums the second term in fi over
them. For our example plasma fi = 1 + 2 [(0.06)(62 )/0.64](2/12)1/2 & 3, and
i & 3(0.64)(1/3672)1/2 23/2 (3 104 )/ 2 & 1.9 103 s1 . Thus, the ions will
relax toward a Maxwellian distribution and their equilibrium flow on the ion
collisional time scale i = 1/i & 530 s. The ion collision length defined by
i = vT i /i is about 120 m for our plasma, which is about a factor of two less
than the electron collision length e .
Finally, we calculate the longest time scale process ion-electron energy
exchange. We must again take account of impurities in the calculation. Here,
since an electron-ion mass ratio is involved, we obtain
# $# $
e/i me ni Zi2
= fie 3 ee/Zi =1 (2.49)
mi ne
Again, for multiple impurity species (Z) one just sums the second term in fie
over them. For our example plasma fie = 1 + [(0.06)(62 )/(0.64)](2/12) &
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 23
1.6. In the presence of impurities the time scale for ion-electron temperature
e/i
equilibration becomes [see discussion after (2.39)] ie 3/(2 ), which for
our plasma is ie = (3672/2)/[(1.6)(0.64)(3 10 )] & 60 ms.
4
In summary, the electron, ion and ion-electron collision times in our example
plasma are e : i : ie & 12 : 530 : 60 000 s. Their ratios are in rough
accord with their anticipated mass ratio scalings of 1 : (mi /me )1/2 : mi /me
= 1 : 61 : 3672. Note also that all these collision time scales are much much
longer (by a factor ne 3De & 3 106 >> 1) than the plasma oscillation period
1/pe & 4 106 s.
Implicit in the preceding analysis is the assumption that no other physical
processes operate on the charged particles in the plasma on these character-
istic collision time (& e ie 10 104 s) or length (& e , i > 100 m)
scales. In practice, in most plasmas many other processes (for example, tem-
poral variations, gyromotion in magnetic fields, and spatial inhomogeneities)
vary more rapidly than one or more of these collisional effects and modify or
impede the collisional processes. Such combined collision and geometric effects
will be discussed later, particularly in Part IV: Transport. Note, however, that
even in the limit of very short time scales (compared to e ) Coulomb collision
effects are not insignificant; as indicated by (2.20), in a time t they diffusively
spread the velocity vectors of charged particles in a plasma through a pitch-angle
& v /v & (t)1/2 . This velocity diffusion effect is important in smoothing out
sharp gradients in velocity space and leads to collisional boundary layers in
otherwise collisionless plasmas. Thus, Coulomb collisions will often play a
significant role even in collisionless plasmas. In fact, as we will see in later
chapters, Coulomb collisions provide the fundamental irreversibility (entropy
producing relaxation mechanisms) in plasmas.
dv qs qs" x x&
ms = qs E(x) = , (2.51)
dt {4%0 } |x x& |3
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 24
Note that the forces in these equations are equal and opposite because of the
conservative nature of the Coulomb force. Defining the center-of-momentum
position and velocity vectors as
dU du q s q s" r
= 0, mss" = , (2.55)
dt dt {4%0 }|r|3
From the first relation in (2.55) we find that the center-of-momentum velocity U
is constant through the Coulomb collision interaction of the test and background
particles.
The equation describing the force on the relative velocity u v v& in
(2.55) is analogous to that in (2.2) for the Lorentz collision model. Adopting
a coordinate system analogous to that in Fig. 2.3 in which v is replaced by
u |v v& |, we readily find that the change u in a single Coulomb collision
interaction between a test particle (s) and background particle (s& ) is
%
1 q s q s" r 2qs qs"
u = dt = (
ex cos +
ey sin ) . (2.57)
mss" {4%0 }r3 {4%0 }mss" bu
Since the total energy is constant in the center-of-momentum frame for an elas-
tic Coulomb collision, using a geometry analogous to that in Fig. 2.4, with v
replaced by the relative velocity u, and relations (2.5), (2.6), we obtain
1 1 2qs2 qs2"
u u = u u & u u = u$ = .
2 2 {4%0 }2 m2ss" b2 u3
(2.58)
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 25
Using (2.57) and (2.58), the integrations in (2.60) and (2.61) can be per-
formed with a specification of the impact parameter integral in (2.11) general-
ized to a test particle (s) colliding with a moving background (s& ) as follows:
% bmax # $
db D ) qm *
ln ss
" = ln , bmin = max bcl
min , bmin (2.62)
bmin b b min
in which
q s q s" h
bcl
min , bqm
min = & . (2.63)
{4%0 }mss" u2 4mss" u2
u u 1 u 2u u2 I uu 1
= , = 3, = 3
= ( ex +
ex ey ) ,
ey (2.64)
v u v u u vv u u
for our present velocity space coordinate system we obtain (for an alternate
derivation using the Rutherford differential scattering cross section see Prob-
lem 2.24):
" # $%
)v*s/s ms 4qs2 qs2" ln ss" u Hs" (v)
= d3v & fs" (v& ) 3 ss" , (2.65)
t mss" {4%0 }2 m2s u v
" # $%
)vv*s/s 4qs2 qs2" ln ss" & u I uu
2
2 Gs" (v)
= d 3 &
v fs " (v ) ss " , (2.66)
t {4%0 }2 m2s u3 vv
in which
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 26
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 27
The total collisional effects on a test particle due to Coulomb collisions with
all types of background particles are obtained by simply adding the contributions
from each species of background particles:
"
)v*s 2 )v*s/s )vv*s 2 )vv*s/s
= , = . (2.75)
t "
t t "
t
s s
Note also that the combination of this summation of species effects and, more
importantly, of the fact that the Rosenbluth potentials are integrals over the
background distribution functions, means that the dynamical friction and ve-
locity diffusion coefficients are not sensitively dependent on detailed features of
fs" (v). (Recall the analogous weak dependence of an electrostatic potential to
the distribution of charges inside a surface.) Thus, evaluation of the Rosen-
bluth potentials for Maxwellian background distributions will be useful both
in describing test particle collisional processes in Maxwellian plasmas and in
other plasmas of interest where the distribution functions are reasonably close
to Maxwellians.
Note that this speed is not the average speed [see (??)] for a Maxwellian dis-
tribution, which is (8Ts" /ms" )1/2 ; however, it is the most probable speed [see
(??)] and it is mathematically convenient.
For a Maxwellian velocity distribution the Rosenbluth potential Gs" (v) de-
fined in (2.68) can be evaluated in a spherical coordinate system in the relative
velocity space u = v v& as follows:
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 28
' '
Gs" (v) d3v & fs" (v& ) |v v& | = d3 u fs" (u + v) u
% % 1
n s" 2 2 2
= 3/2 3 2u du
2
d(cos ) u e(v +u +2uv cos )/vT s"
vT s" 0 1
%
ns" vT2 s" u2 du 6 (v+u)2 /v2 " (vu)2 /vT2
7
= e Ts e s"
v 0 vT3 s"
1 % % x 3
ns" vT s" 1 y 2 y 2
= 4 x dy ye 2 dy (y + x)e
2
x x 0
1 % % x % x 3
ns" vT s" 2 y 2 2 y 2 y 2
= 2 x dy ye + dy y e +x dy e
x x 0 0
(2.78)
in which x v/vT s" . The integrals in the last forms of (2.78) are related
to the error function or probability integral (cf., Problem 2.27), but are most
conveniently written in terms of the Maxwell integral defined by
% x
2
(x) dt t et , (2.79)
0
in which
" ms" v 2 v2
x xs/s = = 2 (2.82)
2Ts" vT s"
is the square of the ratio of the test particle speed to the thermal speed of the
background particles of species s& .
Thus, for an isotropic Maxwellian velocity distribution of background parti-
cles the Rosenbluth potential Gs" (v)=Gs" (v); that is, it depends only on the test
particle speed v, not its velocity v. Then, as can be shown from (2.66), )vv*
is a diagonal tensor with elements )vx2 * = )vy2 * = )v 2
*/2 and )v$2 *. Fur-
ther, it can be shown that )v* is in the
ez or v direction. [These properties are
valid for any distribution function for which the Rosenbluth potential Gs" (v)
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 29
depends only on the test particle speed v.] Substituting the Rosenbluth poten-
tial in (2.81) into (2.65) and (2.66), and utilizing (2.72) or (2.74), we find that
the relevant dynamical friction and velocity diffusion coefficients are given by
" + # $, + ,
)v$ *s/s ms 1 2 Gs" ms s/s"
= ss" v = (x) 0 v, (2.83)
t 2mss" v v v 2 v mss"
2 s/s"
+ # $ ,
)v * 2 Gs" 1 s/s"
= ss" = 2 (x) 1 + (x) 0 v 2 ,
&
(2.84)
t v v 2x
" + ,
)v$2 *s/s 2 G s" (x) s/s" 2
= ss" = 0 v . (2.85)
t v 2 x
Note that in contrast to the Lorentz collision model, we now find )v$2 * =
1 0
because the background particles are of finite mass and in motion, and hence
can exchange energy with the test particle during a Coulomb collision. The net
rate of change of the test particle energy, which is given by (m/2))v 2 */t
(m/2))(v + v) (v + v) v 2 */t, can be determined from these coefficients
as well:
" "
)v 2 *s/s
"
)v$ *s/s )v2 s/s"
* )v$2 *s/s
= 2v + +
t t t t
s/s"
= 2 [(ms /ms" )(x) & (x)] 0 v 2 . (2.86)
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 30
in which v is the average test particle velocity (see Section 2.10 for a detailed
specification of v), s ms v 2 /2 is the test particle energy, and |v v|2 ,
|v v|2$ indicate the diffusional spread of the test particle velocity in directions
perpendicular, parallel to its direction of motion. From the definitions in (2.86)
through (2.88) we see that is not an independent quantity:
= 2 S $ . (2.89)
The total collisional effects due to all background particles are obtained by
summing over s& as indicated in (2.75). The overall picture of how these Coulomb
collision effects slow down and diffuse the test particle velocity are indicated
schematically in Fig. 2.7.
Equations (2.82)(2.88) provide a very complete and useful description of
the evolution of the velocity of a test particle of species s suffering Coulomb
collisions with Maxwellian background particles s& see Problems 2.282.33
for some illustrative applications of them. In addition, they can be used to
develop a Monte Carlo scattering operator for numerical studies of the effects of
Coulomb collisions on the velocity of a test particle see Section 2.10. Finally,
as we did for the Lorentz collision model [cf., (2.22), (2.23)], we can write the
dynamical friction and velocity diffusion coefficients for Coulomb collisions of
test particles of species s with a species s& of Maxwellian background particles
in the coordinate-independent vectorial form
"
)v*s/s s/s"
= S v, (2.90)
t
"
)vv*s/s 1 s/s" s/s"
= (v 2 I vv) + $ vv. (2.91)
t 2
10 For an alternative representation of these various collisional processes using the notation
and functions Chandrasekhar introduced for stellar collisions see Problem 2.27.
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 31
Figure 2.7: Coulomb collisional effects on the velocity of a test particle: mo-
mentum loss or slowing down (S ), angular or perpendicular ( ) and speed
or parallel ($ ) diffusion of the original test particle velocity. The contours
shown are lines of e1 & 0.37 probability (see Section 2.10) at the short times
(t1 , t2 , t3 ) = (0.002, 0.02, 0.2)/ for an energetic electron (me v 2 /2Te = 10) in
an electron-proton plasma for which $ / & 1/40, / & 1/2.
ve = vT e , vi = vT i . (2.92)
s/s"
Then, the reference collision frequencies 0 for electron-ion (e/i), electron-
electron (e/e), ion-ion (i/i) and ion-electron (i/e) collisions are simply related:
e/i e/e i/i
& e/i i/e
& e/i
0 = Zi 0 , 0 = Zi2 me /mi 0 , 0 = Zi me /mi 0 , (2.93)
in which we have neglected the small differences in ln ss" for differing s and
s& and made use of the quasineutrality condition ne = ni Zi . Further, since
the ratio of ion to electron mass is very large (1836 for protons), we find that
"
the relative speed parameters xs/s defined in (2.82) for the various collisional
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 32
x << 1
(x) & (4x3/2 /3 )(1 3x/5 + 3x2 /14 ),
& = (2 x ex / ) & (2x1/2 / )(1 x + x2 /2 ), (2.95)
+ & /2x & (4x1/2 /3 )(1 x/5 + 3x2 /70 ),
x >> 1
(x) & 1 (2 x ex / )(1 + 1/2x 1/4x2 + ),
& (x) = 2 x ex / , (2.96)
+ & /2x & 1 1/2x + (ex / x3/2 )(1 1/x + ).
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 33
Table 2.1: Relative Coulomb collision rates for thermal speed test electrons and
ions in a Maxwellian plasma with Te = Ti .
slowing 8
s/s" e/i me me
down S / 0 1 0.86/Zi 0.86Zi2 0.75Zi
mi mi
perpendicular 8
s/s" e/i me me
diffusion / 0 2 1.26/Zi 1.26Zi2 1.50Zi
mi mi
speed 8
s/s" e/i me me me
diffusion $ / 0 0.43/Zi 0.43Zi2 0.75Zi
mi mi mi
energy 8
s/s" e/i me me me
loss / 0 2 0.03/Zi 0.03Zi2 0.75Zi
mi mi mi
e/i e/i
same as the Lorentz collision frequency in (2.14). The S and components
of the first (e/i) column are the same as those given by the Lorentz collision
model [cf., (2.13) and (2.19)]. All the other electron processes indicated in the
table arise from the finite mass ratio between the electrons and ions, and the fact
that the background particles are in motion. Note that in this general collision
e/i e/i
model the electron-ion parallel (speed) diffusion ($ ) and energy loss ( )
are of order me /mi << 1 compared to the Lorentz collision model processes
because of the inefficiency of energy transfer in collisions of particles with very
disparate masses.
From Table 2.1 we see that the various& collisional processes naturally split
e/i e/i e/i
into three groups of rates: 0 , Zi me /mi 0 , and Zi (me /mi ) 0 . The
2
fastest of these rates is the Lorentz collision rate; however, all the electron-
electron collisional processes also occur at roughly the same rate and so should
also be taken into account in investigations of electron collisional processes. (The
electron-electron collision processes are small in a plasma where the ions all have
e/i e/e e/e
high charge states Zi >> 1 since then 0 = Zi 0 >> 0 .) Physically, on
e/i
this fastest time scale of 1/0 , electron momentum is relaxed by collisions
on both electrons and ions, and the electrons relax within themselves through
all the processes. The electron-electron collisions relax the electrons toward a
Maxwellian distribution (see Chapter & 11). On the next lower rate or longer
time scale by a factor of order mi /me > 43 >> 1 ion-ion collisions
relax the ions toward a Maxwellian distribution. Finally, on the longest time
scale, which is a factor of about mi /me > 1836 >> 1 slower than 1/ e/i , there
0
is energy transfer between the electrons and ions, and ion momentum loss to the
i/e
electrons. [The energy loss rate is negative here because we are evaluating
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 34
it for a test particle whose energy is below the average particle energy in the
plasma, mv 2 /2 = 3 T /2 see (??)].
Next, we consider the overall plasma electron and ion species collisional
relaxation rates. First, we consider the temperature equilibration rate for a
Maxwellian distribution of test particles of species s colliding with a Maxwellian
s/s"
distribution of background particles s& . Multiplying the defined in the last
line of (2.88) by an isotropic Maxwellian velocity distribution of test particles s
in the form given in (2.76) and using the first property of given in (2.80) to
integrate the contribution to by parts once, we find
3 dTs s/s"
ns = ns (Ts Ts" ), (2.97)
2 dt
where
+ ,
s/s" ms 4 " " 4 4 ns ns" qs2 qs2" ln ss"
ns = ns 0s/s (vT ss" ) = ns" s /s = ,
ms " {4%0 }2 ms ms" vT3 ss"
(2.98)
is the average energy density exchange rate between the species in which
-
vT ss" [2(Ts /ms + Ts" /ms" )]1/2 = vT2 s + vT2 s" (2.99)
is the appropriate mean thermal velocity for a combination of test and back-
ground particles, both with Maxwellian distributions. From the equality of
s/s" s/s"
ns and ns" , it is obvious that
dTs dTs"
ns = ns " , (2.100)
dt dt
as required by energy conservation energy lost from the test particle species is
gained by the (dissimilar) background species with which it suffers Coulomb col-
lisions. For a couple of applications of these temperature equilibration formulas
see Problems 2.35 and 2.36.
For the special case of the electron-ion plasma we have been considering, if
we assume Te /me >> Ti /mi (vT e >> vT i ), (2.97) becomes [cf., (2.38)]
3 dTe e/i me
ne = ne (Te Ti ) = 3 ne e (Te Ti ) Qi . (2.101)
2 dt mi
In the last expression we have used the e defined in (2.17). The relevant formula
e/i
for the electron-ion energy transfer rate in a plasma with impurities (see
Problem 2.37) was given previously in (2.49) and (2.50).
Finally, we calculate the momentum relaxation rate for two Maxwellian dis-
tributions of particles that are drifting (flowing) slowly relative to each other
with velocity V Vs Vs" , assuming |V| << vT ss" . In the rest frame of the
background particles (s& ), the drifting test particle (s) distribution function can
be written as in (2.15):
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 35
# $3/2 # $
ms ms |v V|2
fs (v) = ns exp
2Ts 2Ts
2 2 + ,
ns ev /vT s 2 v V
& 1+ 2 + . (2.102)
3/2 vT3 s vT s
Multiplying the momentum loss rate formula in the first line of (2.88) by this
distribution function and integrating over velocity space, again integrating once
by parts and using the first relation in (2.80), we find
dVs s/s"
m s ns = S ms ns (Vs Vs" ), (2.103)
dt
where
+ ,
s/s" 4 ms s/s" 4 4 ns ns" qs2 qs2" ln ss"
ms ns S = ms ns 0 (vT ss ) =
"
3 mss" 3 {4%0 }2 mss" vT3 ss"
(2.104)
is the average momentum density exchange rate between the s and s& species of
particles, and vT ss" is the average thermal velocity defined in (2.99). From the
s/s"
symmetric form of ms ns S in terms of the species labels s and s& , it is clear
that the momentum lost from the s species is gained by the s& species and thus
momentum is conserved in the Coulomb collisional interactions between the two
species of particles: ms ns dVs /dt = ms" ns" dVs" /dt.
Specializing again to an electron-ion plasma and assuming as usual that
vT e >> vT i , we find that (2.103) and (2.104) reduce to [cf., (2.34)]
dVe
me ne = me ne e (Ve Vi ) Re , (2.105)
dt
where
e/i 4 e/i 4 2 ne Zi e4 ln 1
e = S = 0 (vT e ) = . (2.106)
3 1/2
{4%0 }2 3 me Te
3/2 e
This electron momentum relaxation rate is the same as that obtained in (2.17)
for the Lorentz collision model and shows that the fundamental Maxwellian-
e/i
averaged electron-ion collision frequency e is in fact S . Electron-electron
collisions do not contribute to the momentum relaxation process because they
are momentum conserving for the electron species as a whole. Note also that
the collisional momentum relaxation process acts on the difference between the
electron and ion flow velocities. Thus, the net effect of Coulomb collisions is to
relax the electron flow to the ion flow velocity. Finally, the relevant formula for
e/i
the electron-ion collisional slowing down rate S in a plasma with impurities
(see Problem 2.38) was given in (2.44).
For the slightly fictitious case of two ion species with charge qi = Zi e that
have equal temperatures but are drifting relative to each other with velocity V,
the ion momentum relaxation rate is given by
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 36
dV
mi ni = mi ni i V, (2.107)
dt
where [cf., (2.36)]
i/i 4 ni Zi4 e4 ln 1
i = S = 1/2 3/2
. (2.108)
{4%0 }2 3 mi Ti i
i/i
As can be anticipated from the & S entry in Table 2.1, this momentum relaxation
rate is a factor of order Zi me /mi slower than that for electrons. Also, the
2
i/e
ion-electron collisional effects due to S have been neglected
& in the average ion
momentum loss rate because they are a factor of order me /m i smaller than
the ion-ion collisional effects. The numerical factor in (2.108) is 2 smaller than
that in (2.106) because of the rest mass and average thermal velocity factors
for this equal mass case. Finally, the relevant formula for the ion-ion collisional
i/i
slowing down rate S in a plasma with impurities (see Problem 2.39) was
given in (2.46).
mi v 2 v2 me v 2 v2
xf /i = = 2 >> 1, xf /e = = 2 << 1, (2.109)
2Ti vT i 2Te vT e
f /s"
in which v is the fast ion speed. Further, the reference collision frequencies 0
are equal for the electron-hydrogenic ion background plasma:
f /i f /e
0 = 0 . (2.110)
Using the approximations (2.109) in (2.95) and (2.96), we find that the fast
ion transfers energy to the plasma electrons and ions at the rates defined in the
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 37
f /e
is the instantaneous fast ion energy. Since is independent of the fast ion
energy, it is convenient to define a fast ion slowing down time S in terms of it:
1/2 3/2 # $
2 1 mf {4%0 }2 3 me Te mf 1
S & = = . (2.115)
f /e
f /e
S me (4 2) ne Zf2 e4 ln me e
f /e
Here, the approximate equality to 1/S follows because for mf /me >> 1 the
fast ions are not significantly scattered by the electrons; thus, they lose energy
to the plasma electrons at twice the rate they lose momentum to them. The rate
of transfer of fast ion energy to plasma ions can be referenced to the transfer
rate to the electrons in terms of a critical energy c mf vc2 /2 as follows:
f /i 4 53/2 vc3
c
= = , (2.116)
f /e v3
where . /
+ 8 ,2/3
mf vc2 3 mf mf mf
c = Te & 14.8 Te (2.117)
2 4 me mi 1/3 2/3
mp m i
in which mp is the proton mass. (For the appropriate modifications when mul-
tiple species of ions are present, see Problems 2.40 and 2.50.) In terms of this
critical energy, (2.113) can be written as
+ 4 53/2 ,
d 2 c
= 1+ . (2.118)
dt S
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 38
Figure 2.9: Fast ion energy transfer rate versus energy . The energy transfer
is primarily to electrons for > c , but to ions for < c .
The fast ion energy transfer rates as a function of energy are illustrated in Fig.
2.9. For fast ion energies greater than c the energy transfer is primarily to
electrons, while for < c it is primarily to ions.
Since (2.118) applies for all fast ion speeds between the electron and ion
thermal speeds, it will be valid for all fast ion energies during the thermalization
process. Thus, its solution will give the fast ion energy as a function of time as it
transfers its energy to the background plasma. To solve (2.118)
& it is convenient
to convert it to an equation for the fast ion speed v 2/mf , for which it
becomes
+ ,
dv v vc3
= 1+ 3 , (2.119)
dt S v
9 + ,1/3
2 c 3 me
vc = vT e . (2.120)
mf 4 mi
Multiplying (2.119) by v 2 and integrating over time from t = 0 where the initial
fast ion speed will be taken to be v0 to the current time t where it has speed v
(assumed > vTi ), we obtain
# 3 $
S v0 + vc3
t= ln , (2.121)
3 v 3 + vc3
or
v 3 (t) = (v03 + vc3 ) e3t/S vc3 . (2.122)
The fast ion energy (t) = mf v 2 (t)/2 during the slowing down process can be
readily obtained from this last result.
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 39
10
E/Ec
3
.3
.1
0 0.5 1
t/s
Figure 2.10: Decay of fast ion energy versus time during thermalization into
a background plasma for various initial ratios of to the critical energy c .
The decay of the fast ion energy with time is illustrated in Fig. 2.10. Note
that for initial energies much greater than the critical energy c the fast ion
f /e
energy decays exponentially in time at a rate 2/S = due to collisions with
electrons, as is apparent from (2.118). However, when the energy drops below
c the energy transfer is predominantly to the ions and the fast ion energy
decays much faster than exponentially. The total lifetime for thermalization (to
v & vT i << vc ) of the fast ion into the background plasma ions is
Similarly, the fraction Gi of fast ion energy transferred to the ions is (for the
simpler case where cx , see also the form given in Problem 2.43)
% f # $ f /i % v0 3 + , /3
1 d et/cx 2 vc v dv v 3 + vc3 S cx
Gi dt = 2 . (2.125)
0 0 dt f /e + f /i v0 0 v 3 + vc3 v03 + vc3
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 40
s
0.8 ____ = 0
0 cx
Gi,!Ge ions
1
0.6 1
3
0.4 10 3
0.2 electrons 10
0
0.1 0.2 0.5 1 2 5 10
Eo/Ec
Figure 2.11: Fraction of the fast ion energy 0 that is transferred to the back-
ground plasma electrons (Ge ) and ions (Gi ) as a function of the ratio of the
initial energy 0 to the critical energy c . The variation with the parameter
S /cx indicates the influence of direct fast ion losses (at rate 1/cx ) during the
thermalization process.
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 41
Table 2.2: Relative Coulomb collision rates for fast ions with vT i << v << vT e
slowing down in a plasma with Maxwellian electrons and ions (c 14.8 Te ).
f /i f /e
slowing # $ # $3 # $3/2
f /s" f /e mf mf 4 v
down S / 0 1+ =
mi me 3 vT e c
perpendicular # $
f /s" f /e 8 v
diffusion / 0 2 << 1
3 vT e
speed # $
f /s" f /e Ti 4 v
diffusion $ / 0 << 1 << 1
mf v 2 /2 3 vT e
energy # $3 # $3/2
f /s" f /e mf mf 8 v
loss / 0 2 =2
mi me 3 vT e c
background plasma. Since the energy diffusion process is thus negligible during
the fast ion thermalization process, and the perpendicular diffusion has no effect
on the energy transfer rates, our characterization of the fast ion slowing down
process as one of a monotonic decrease in the fast ion energy is a reasonably
accurate one. A kinetic description that allows for pitch-angle () scattering
along with the fast ion energy slowing down is developed in Section 11.4.
over a short time t >> t (for validity of the dynamical friction and velocity
diffusion coefficients), we find that the mean parallel or ez component of the
test particle velocity after a time t is
2 s/s"
v$ = v0 (1 S t), S = Ss S (v0 ). (2.126)
s"
This result is valid for S t << 1 and indicates the monotonic decrease in test
particle momentum due to Coulomb collisons. Similarly, the test particle energy
after a short time t can be obtained directly by integrating the last equation of
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 42
Thus, the average test particle speed v, which will be used below, will be defined
by
&
v v 2 & v0 (1 t/2). (2.128)
Similar to (2.126), these formulas are only valid for t << 1.
The angular (perpendicular) velocity and speed (parallel) diffusion processes
in velocity space indicated by and $ have to be treated differently. Because
these Coulomb collision effects are random in character and diffusive, they lead
to a Gaussian probability distribution P (v v0 ) of the velocity about the initial
test particle velocity v0 . Since the diffusion results from purely random pro-
cesses, we can anticipate (and will derive in Chapter 11) that this probability
distribution will be Gaussian and of the form:
. 2 2
/. 2 2
/
1 e /2 e(vv) /2#
P (v v0 ) = . (2.129)
2 v 2 2
2 $
Here, 2 [arcsin1 (v /v)]2 & (vx2 + vy2 )/v 2 and v is as was defined in (2.128).
Taking velocity-space
' averages 'of various quantities A(v) over this probability
distribution [ A 0 2v 2 dv 0 sin d P (v v0 ) A(v)], we find that while
the average of the diffusive deflections vanish [v x = v y = 0, v$ v $ = 0], the
diffusive spreads in the perpendicular and parallel (to v0 ) directions are
2 = v2 + v2 = 2 2 v2 ,
v 2 v02 & v (v$ v0 )2 = (v$ v$ )2 = $2 . (2.130)
x y 0
Comparing (2.130), (2.132) and (2.132), we see that for Coulomb collisions
& &
= t/2, $ = $ t v0 . (2.133)
The relative collisional spreads (half-widths in velocity space to points where
the probability distribution drops to e1/2 & 0.61 of its peak value) of the test
particle velocity in the directions perpendicular and parallel (i.e., for speed or
energy diffusion) relative to its initial velocity v0 are given by
& &
& v /v0 = t/2, v/v0 $ /v0 = $ t. (2.134)
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 43
Note that
& in comparing the perpendicular diffusion factor in (2.129) for which
= t/2 with the perpendicular diffusion in the Lorentz model as given
in (2.21), we need to realize that = 2 and hence that = t for
the Lorentz collision model. These formulas indicate that, even for very high
temperature plasmas with n3D >> 1 where the Coulomb collision rates are very
slow, only a short time is required to diffuse the test particle velocity through
a small v << v0 . For example, as indicated in (2.20), the time required to
diffuse a particles velocity through a small angle & v /v0 << 1 is only
t & 2 2 / << 1/ [or, t & 2 / << 1/ for the Lorentz collision model].
Thus, because of the diffusive nature of Coulomb collisions, it takes much less
time to scatter through an angle << 1 in velocity space than it does to scatter
through 90 ( 1). The various diffusive collisional effects are illustrated in
Fig. 2.7. There, the contours shown indicate where the probability distribution
P in (2.129) is equal to e1 & 0.37 of its peak value for t = 0.002, 0.02, 0.2,
for a typical set of test particle parameters.
The change in the average energy mv 2 /2 can also be obtained using (2.126),
(2.130) and (2.133). This procedure yields, correct to first order in t << 1,
6 7 6 7
1
mv 2 = 1 m v 2 + v 2 = 1 m v 2 + 2(v v )v + (v v )2 + v 2
2 2 $ 2 $ $ $ $ $ $
This result is the same as (2.127) because of the relation between the various
collisional processes given in (2.89).
The formulas developed in this section also provide a basis for a probablistic
(Monte Carlo) numerical approach for inclusion of Coulomb collision effects in
other plasma processes such as single particle trajectories. Thus far we have
found that after a short time t a test particles velocity and speed decrease
according to (2.126) and (2.128). However, the test particle also acquires a
diffusive spread in the perpendicular and parallel directions as given by (2.129)
with the spreads (variances) defined in (2.133). Further, the velocity space
latitudinal angle [cf., (2.1)] is completely randomized by successive individual
Coulomb collisions in a time scale t >> t. Hence, defining a random
variable to be evenly distributed between 0 and 1, and independent random
variables 1 , 2 sampled from a normal probability distribution [i.e., Gaussian
such as indicated in the $ part of (2.129)] with zero mean and a mean square
of unity (i.e., 1 = 2 = 0 but 12 = 22 = 1), we find that the total velocity
vector v after a short time t (t << 1) can be written as
6 & & 7
v = v0 (1 t/2) ez ( 1 + 1 $ t ) + |2 | t/2 (
ex cos 2 +
ey sin 2) .
(2.135)
This form can be used to develop a Monte Carlo algorithm for advancing
the test particle velocity v taking into account the Coulomb collision dynam-
ical friction and velocity space diffusion effects occurring over the short time
t << 1/. Since (2.135) implies a change in the velocity of the test particle,
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 44
The basic Coulomb collision processes were first worked out in the analogous con-
text (see Problem 2.9) of the gravitational interaction of stars:
Chandrasekhar, Principles of Stellar Dynamics (1942).
S. Chandrasekhar, Rev. Mod. Phys. 15, 1 (1943).
A comprehensive application to Coulomb collisions in a plasma was first presented in
Spitzer, Physics of Fully Ionized Gases (1962).
The most general development of the dynamical friction and velocity diffusion coeffi-
cients for a plasma in terms of the Rosenbluth potentials originated in the paper
M.N. Rosenbluth, W. MacDonald and D. Judd, Phys. Rev. 107, 1 (1957).
The most comprehensive treatments of the Coulomb collision effects on test particles
in a plasma are found in
B.A. Trubnikov, Particle Interactions in a Fully Ionized Plasma, in Reviews of
Plasma Physics, M.A. Leontovich, ed. (Consultants Bureau, New York, 1965),
Vol. I, p. 105.
D.V. Sivukhin, Coulomb Collisions in a Fully Ionized Plasma, in Reviews of
Plasma Physics, M.A. Leontovich, ed. (Consultants Bureau, New York, 1966),
Vol. IV, p. 93.
A brief, but very useful summary of the important Coulomb collision formulas in this
chapter is given in
Book, NRL Plasma Formulary (1990), p. 31.
A book devoted almost entirely to the subject of Coulomb collision effects in a plasma
with numerous examples worked out is
Shkarofsky, Johnston and Bachynski, The Particle Kinetics of Plasmas (1966).
Also, most books on plasma physics have chapters devoted to discussions of Coulomb
collision effects. Among the most descriptive and useful are those in
Spitzer, Physics of Fully Ionized Gases (1962), Chapter 5
Rose and Clark, Plasmas and Controlled Fusion (1961), Chapter 8.
Schmidt, Physics of High Temperature Plasmas (1979), Chapter 11.
Krall and Trivelpiece, Principles of Plasma Physics (1973), Chapter 6.
Golant, Zhilinsky and Sakharov, Fundamentals of Plasma Physics (1980), Chap-
ter 2.
The original theory of runaway electrons was developed in
H. Dreicer, Proceedings of the Second United Nations International Conference
on the Peaceful Use of Atomic Energy (United Nations, Geneva, 1958), Vol. 31,
p. 57. See also, Phys. Rev. 115, 238 (1959).
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 45
PROBLEMS
2.1 Consider the length scales relevant for electron Coulomb collision processes in a
typical university-scale magnetic fusion plasma experiment that has ne = 21013
cm3 and Te = Ti = 1 keV. Calculate: a) the distance of closest approach bmin ;
b) the average interparticle spacing; c) the maximum interaction distance bmax ;
and d) the average collision length e = vT e /e for electrons in this plasma.
What is the ratio of each of these lengths to the mean interparticle spacing? /
2.2 Consider the length scales relevant for electron Coulomb collision processes in
a laser-produced electron-proton plasma that has ne = 1029 m3 and Te = Ti
= 1 keV. Calculate: a) the distance of closest approach bmin ; b) the average
interparticle spacing; c) the maximum interaction distance bmax ; and d) the
average collision length e = vT e /e for electrons in this plasma. What is the
ratio of each of these lengths to the mean interparticle spacing? /
2.3 Estimate the time scales relevant for electron Coulomb collision processes in the
earths ionosphere at a point where ne = 1012 m3 , Te = 1 eV. For simplicity,
use a Lorentz collision model and assume the ions have Zi = 1 and Ti " Te .
Calculate the times for: a) a typical Coulomb interaction at the average inter-
particle spacing; b) an electron to traverse the Debye shielding cloud; and c) the
average electron collision time e = 1/e . How long (or short) are each of these
1
times compared to the plasma period pe ? /
2.4 a) Show that for a Lorentz collision model an electron with an initial velocity v0
loses momentum exponentially in time at a decay rate given by (v0 ). b) What
is the electron energy after its momentum is totally depleted? c) Calculate the
distance the electron travels in its original direction of motion while losing its
momentum. d) Evaluate the momentum decay rate and distance the electron
travels for a plasma with Zi = 5, ne = 1019 m3 , Te = Ti = 100eV , and an
initial electron test particle energy of 1 keV. [Hint: Be careful to distinguish
between an electrons velocity (a directional, vector quantity) and its speed (a
scalar quantity).] //
2.5 In Section 2.1 we derived the momentum impulse v for a single Coulomb
collision in the Lorentz collision model by integrating me (dv/dt) = qe E over an
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 46
2.6 Show that the Lorentz collision frequency can be derived from the Rutherford
differential scattering cross-section d = (d/d)d given in (??) and Prob-
lem 2.24. First, show that for the Lorentz collision model the scattering angle
is given for typical small-angle Coulomb collisions by " 2Zi e2 /({4'0 }mv 2 b)
= 2bclmin /b, and that the differential scattering cross-section kernal is d/d
= |(b db d)/(d d cos )| " (b/)|db/d| = 4(bcl 2 4
min ) / . Then, determine the
effective cross-section for momentum transfer m , which is defined by
%
m d (d/d) (1 cos ).
Show that for times long compared to the duration of individual Coulomb col-
lisions but short compared to the momentum loss collision time (b/v << t <<
1/), the electron kinetic energy is constant through terms of order t when
%
1
d %F(0) F( )&.
2m2e v 2
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 47
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 48
2Zi e2
p = (
ex cos +
ey sin ).
{4'0 }bv
&
Next, use the relativistic form of the total particle energy ( = m2e c4 + p2 c2 )
to show that for Coulomb scattering (constant energy) collisions between high
energy electrons and background electrons or ions of mass mi the change in
parallel momentum is
+ ,
p p me
p# " 1+ .
2p mi
Show that the frictional force induced by Coulomb collisions of the high energy
electron with the background plasma is thus
# $
4 ne e4 ln 1 + Zi
%F# & " 1+
{4'0 }2 me v 2
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 49
that this frictional force must be equal and opposite to the maximum force on
the electron distribution to estimate the critical electric field strength (in terms
of the Dreicer field) for total electron runaway. Also, show that at this electric
field strength an average electron is accelerated to roughly its thermal speed in
an appropriate electron collision time. //+
2.16 At what electron temperature is the electrical resistivity of an electron-proton
plasma with ln 17 the same as that of copper at room temperature for which
" 1.7 108 m? /
2.17 In a typical university-scale tokamak experiment an electron-proton plasma with
ln 17 is heated to a temperature of about 300 eV by the joule or ohmic
heating induced by an electric field of about 0.5 V/m. What current density
(in A/cm2 ) does this electric field induce in such a plasma? What is the joule
heating rate (in W/cm3 )? /
2.18 Determine the plasma electrical impedance to an oscillating electric field as fol-
lows. First, assume a sinusoidal electric field oscillating at a (radian) frequency
: E(t) = E eit . Then, solve an appropriate electron fluid momentum density
equation and show that the frequency-dependent electrical conductivity can be
written as
ne e2
() = .
me (e i)
Over what frequency range is the plasma resistive (dissipative) and over what
range is it reactive? What frequency ranges (in Hz) are these in the earths
ionosphere for the parameters of Problem 2.3? //
2.19 The plasma electrical conductivity is modified in a plasma with neutral par-
ticles. Add a neutral friction force me ne en Ve , where en = nn en v is the
Maxwellian-averaged electron-neutral collision frequency, to the right of (2.29)
and show that in equilibrium the modified electrical resistivity is given by
me (e + en )
= . //
ne e2
2.20 Determine the neutral density range over which the effects of neutral particles
on the electrical conductivity can be neglected using the result given in the
preceding problem as follows. The reaction-rate en v for ionization of atomic
hydrogen by electrons is given approximately (to within about a factor of two)
by
en v " 1.5 108 cm3/s for 10 eV Te 104 eV.
How small must the ratio of the neutral to electron density (nn /ne ) be to ne-
glect electron-neutral collision effects in an electron-proton plasma for Te =
10, 102 , 103 , and 104 eV? Explain why this density ratio varies so dramatically
with electron temperature. /
2.21 In high neutral pressure, low temperature, partially ionized plasmas (e.g., in the
glow discharge in fluorescent light bulbs), electron-neutral collisions compete
with Coulomb collisions. In particular, they can become dominant in the high
energy tail of the electron distribution function, thereby causing it to effectively
vanish for energies above a cut-off energy. Estimate the cut-off energy for
a Te = 3 eV, ne = 1010 cm3 electron-proton plasma that has a hydrogen
neutral density determined by a 3 mm Hg filling pressure, assuming an electron-
ionization rate coefficient en v = 1010 cm3/s for this Te = 3 eV plasma. /
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 50
2.22 Sketch the variation of the energy transfer rate Qi in (2.38) from electrons to
ions in a Maxwellian electron-proton plasma as a function of Te /Ti . Find the
value of Te /Ti at which the maximum energy transfer occurs. Explain physically
why the energy transfer rate decreases for increasing Te /Ti >> 1. /
2.23 Consider the thermal equilibration of an electron-ion plasma with Te > Ti .
Eliminating Ti in favor of the final temperature T = (Te + Ti )/2, show that in
the absence of joule heating, Eq. (2.41), which governs the electron temperature
evolution, can be reduced to
1/2 3/2
dz z1 m i e 1 mi {4'0 }2 3 me T
= , = =
dt z 3/2 me 4 z 3/2 me 16 2 ne Zi e4 ln
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 51
2.26 Use the formulas derived in the preceding problem to consider collisions of a
test particle s with a spherically symmetric velocity distribution of background
particles that all have the same speed V : fs" (v) = (ns /4V 2 )(v V ). Show
that for these collisional processes the analogous potential is given by
:
ms 1/V, v < V,
= ns "
mss" 1/v, v > V.
Calculate the momentum and energy loss rates for test particle (s) speeds v <
V , and v > V . Discuss the results obtained in analogy with electrostatics,
and in particular explain by analogy with electrostatics why the test particle s
exchanges no momentum with the background when v < V. ///+
2.27 In the original work on stellar collisions Chandrasekhar introduced the function
% z
(z) z% (z) 2 2
G(z) , where (z) dy ey = erf (z).
2z 2 0
Show that this Chandrasekhar function G is related to the Maxwell integral
by
(x) vT2 s"
G( x ) = = ,
2v 2 2x
and hence that the various collision frequencies for Coulomb collisions of a test
particle of species s with a Maxwellian distribution of background particles of
species s% can be written as
# $# $
s/s" 2Ts m " G(v/vT s" )
S = ss" 1+ s ,
Ts" ms (v/vT s )
s/s"
= 2 ss" [(v/vT s" ) G(v/vT s" )] (vT3 s /v 3 ),
"
s/s
# = 2 ss" G(v/vT s" )(vT3 s /v 3 )
in which
s/s" v3 4 ns" qs2 qs2" ln ss"
ss" 0 (v) =
vT3 s m2s vT3 s
is the reference collision frequency, which has the advantage of being independent
of the particle speed v. //+
2.28 Discuss the changes that occur in Problem 2.4 when general Coulomb collisions
are allowed for instead of the Lorentz collision model. In particular, indicate the
approximate magnitude and direction of changes in the momentum decay rate,
the distance traveled and the rate of energy transfer to the ions for the plasma
parameters indicated. //+
2.29 Consider the Coulomb collision scattering processes on a D T fusion-produced
particle ( = 3.52 MeV) in a thermonuclear plasma (50% D, 50% T , Te = Ti
= 10 keV, ne = 1020 m3 ). Calculate the collision rates for slowing down (S ),
perpendicular diffusion ( ), parallel diffusion (# ) and energy loss ( ) of the
particle in the plasma. Discuss which of the collisional processes (/e, /D,
or /T ) dominate each of these rates and why. How long will it take such a
fusion-produced particle to deposit half of its energy in the plasma? /+
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 52
2.30 The direction of energy transfer in Coulomb collisions of test particles with
a background plasma depends on the test particle energy and other parame-
ters. Estimate the particular test particle energies at which there is no energy
exchange between test electrons, test protons and a Maxwellian background
electron-proton plasma that has Te ,= Ti , but Te of the same order of magnitude
as Ti . /+
2.31 Evaluate the ratio of energy diffusion to energy loss for electrons on the high
energy tail (me v 2 /2 > Te ) of a Maxwellian electron distribution function. Use
this result to: a) find the probability that a tail electron will gain rather than
lose energy; and b) discuss phenomenologically how the energy dependence of
the Maxwellian tail of the electron distribution function is determined. //+
2.32 Consider a test electron with an energy of 10% of the electron temperature in a
plasma. Show that the electron gains energy approximately linearly with time
from a Maxwellian background of electrons. Estimate the time required (in
terms of e ) for the test electron to acquire an energy approximately equal to
the plasma electron temperature. //+
2.33 It is of interest to drive the current in a tokamak plasma by means other than
via the usual inductive electric field. Thus, one often seeks [see N.J. Fisch,
Rev. Mod. Phys. 59, 175 (1987)] to drive currents by radiofrequency waves
that impart momentum to a selected group of suprathermal (v >> vT e ) elec-
trons. Coulomb collision effects relax these suprathermal electrons back into
the background distribution and thus limit the current produced. Estimate
the steady-state efficiency J/Pd for such a process as follows. Consider a
suprathermal electron that has a large velocity v0 relative to the thermal speed
of background electrons which will be assumed to have a Maxwellian velocity
distribution. Assume the ions in the plasma have charge Zi , a Maxwellian distri-
bution, and a comparable temperature to the background electrons. Show that
the z-directed velocity component and speed of the suprathermal electron are
e/e e/e
governed by dvz /dt = (2 + Zi )0 (v) vz and dv/dt = 0 (v) v, respectively.
Combine these equations and show that for vT e < v < v0 their solution can be
written as vz = vz0 [v(t)/v0 ]2+Zi . Then, show that the current induced in the
plasma by one suprathermal electron over the time it takes for it to slow down
to the thermal energy of the background electrons is
%
qe vz0 1
Jz = qe dt vz " e/e .
0 (v0 ) 5 + Zi
However, show that the sum over an isotropic distribution of such suprathermal
electrons yields no net current in the plasma. Next, consider the effect of a
small momentum input via radiofrequency waves at v0 = v0 ez that increases
the electron velocity to (v0 + v)
ez where v << v0 . Calculate the ratio of the
perturbed current J to the power (energy) input Pd from the wave needed to
produce this change and show it is given by
J 4 qe
= v02 .
Pd 5 + Zi me 0e/e(v0 ) v0
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 53
possible. Finally, show that when the current and power dissipated are normal-
e/e
ized to ne qe vT e and ne me vT2 e 0 (vT e ), respectively, the normalized steady-state
current-drive efficiency for z-directed momentum input is given by
# $2
J 4 v0
= .
Pd 5 + Z i vT e
In what range of speeds is this type of current drive most efficient? How does
it compare to the normalized efficiency J/Pd for the usual ohmic current-drive
by an electric field with |E| << ED ? ///+
2.34 Show that for test electrons with energies much larger than the electron temper-
ature in an electron-ion plasma with Ti Te that e " [2/(2 + Zi )]Se and that
the velocity friction and diffusion coefficients can be written to lowest order as
%v&e e/e
= (2 + Zi ) 0 v,
t
%vv&e e/e
= 0 [(1 + Zi )(v 2 I vv) + (vT2 e /v 2 )vv].
t
How large are the most significant terms that have been neglected for the beam
electrons in Problem 2.12 /+
2.35 A hydrogen ice pellet is injected into a hot Maxwellian electron-proton plasma
with Te = Ti = 2 keV and ne = 5 1019 m3 . Assume the pellet doubles
the plasma density. Neglecting the energy expended in the ionization processes
( 30 100 eV), what is the temperature the hot plasma and the cold, pellet
produced plasma (at say 10 eV) will equilibrate to? Estimate the time scales
on which the electron and ion plasma components become Maxwellians at their
new temperatures, and equilibrate to a common temperature. //+
2.36 It is usually difficult to measure directly the ion temperature of hydrogenic ions
(protons, deuterons, tritons) in a hot plasma. However, it is often possible to
determine the temperature of trace amounts of impurity ions in hot plasmas
by measuring the Doppler broadening of the line radiation produced by the de-
excitation of excited, highly ionized states of the impurity ions. Show that the
impurity temperature is close to the ion temperature in Maxwellian plasmas
with comparable electron (e), ion (i), and impurity (Z) temperatures as follows.
First, assume for simplicity that the impurities are heated only through Coulomb
collisions with the hot plasma electrons and the dominant, hydrogenic ions.
Then, write down an energy balance equation for the impurity species. Next,
show that in equilibrium since the impurity mass is much closer to that of the
hydrogenic ions than to that of the electrons, the impurity temperature can be
written as
4 5
Z/e Z/i
TZ " Ti $ / $ (Ti Te )
# $# $1/2 # $3/2
ne me Ti
= Ti (Ti Te ).
ni Zi2 mi Te
Finally, estimate the difference between the impurity and ion temperatures for
Ti = 10 keV, Te = 5 keV in a predominantly electron-deuteron plasma. //+
2.37 Using the formulas in Section 2.8, show that the impurity factor fie given in
(2.50) is correct. /+
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 54
2.38 Using the formulas in Section 2.8, show that the total electron collision frequency
e for a muliple ion species, impure plasma is as given in (2.44). /+
2.39 Using the formulas in Section 2.8, show that the impurity factor fi given in
(2.48) is correct. /+
2.40 Show that for a fast ion of mass mf and charge Zf e with vT i << vf << vT e
slowing down in a plasma composed of a mixture of ions of mass mi and charge
Zi e the slowing down is governed by (2.118), with the fast ion slowing down
time S unchanged, but that the critical speed vc is now given by
3 3 2 ni Zi2 /ne 3 me 2 ni Zi2 /ne
vc3 vT e [Z]m vT3 e , [Z]m .
4 i
(mi /me ) 4 mf i
(mi /mf )
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 55
2.45 In the early, 1970s experiments that injected energetic neutral beams into toka-
mak plasmas there was concern that charge-exchange of the injected fast ions
with neutrals in the plasma would cause the fast ions to be lost from the plasma
before they could deposit their energy in the background electrons and ions.
Consider 40 keV deuterium beam injection into a ne = 2 1013 cm3, Te = 1.3
keV, Ti = 0.5 keV electron-deuteron plasma. What are the critical energy c ,
slowing down time S and fast ion lifetime f for fast ions in this plasma?
In the absence of charge-exchange losses, what fraction of the fast ion en-
ergy is transferred to the backgound plasma electrons, and ions? Assuming
a charge-exchange cross section of cx = 7 1016 cm2 and a neutral density
of nn = 2 108 cm3 , what is cx at the initial fast ion energy? (Since cx v
is approximately constant below 20 keV per nucleon, cx is nearly independent
of energy.) How much does charge-exchange reduce the fractions of fast ion en-
ergy transferrred to the background plasma electrons and ions? Which transfer
fraction is affected the most? Why? /+
2.46 Energetic neutral atoms from neutral beams are absorbed in plasmas via the
atomic collision processes of electron ionization, proton ionization and charge
exchange. The ionization processes are ion /(cx + ion ) probable ( 30%
for the parameters of the preceding problem). They produce an electron whose
initial speed is approximately the same as the injected fast neutral atom but
whose kinetic energy is much lower. For the parameters of the preceding prob-
lem, what is the energy of such electrons? Since such electrons are born with
low energies and take energy from the backgound plasma as they are heated to
the plasma electron temperature, they represent an initial heat sink. Approx-
imately how long does it take for these electrons to be heated by the plasma
to the background electron temperature of 1.3 keV? (Hint: See Problem 2.32.)
How does this time compare to the fast ion slowing down time S ? About how
long does it take for the injected energetic neutral beam to add net energy to
the plasma? //+
2.47 In the wet wood burner approach to controlled thermonuclear fusion [J.M.
Dawson, H.P. Furth and F.H. Tenney, Phys. Rev. Letters 26, 1156 (1971)] it is
proposed to obtain energy multiplication through fusion reactions of energetic
deuterons as they slow down in a background triton plasma. Show that the
energy multiplication factor F , which is defined as the ratio of fusion energy
produced to the initial deuteron energy 0 , can be written as
# $ % # $
F =
f (n ) v0 v3 dv (v) f (n ) v
S f S f
o 0 v 3 + vc3 0
in which f is the energy produced per fusion and f (v) is the speed- (energy-)
dependent fusion cross section. For D-T fusion with f = 22.4 MeV (17.6 MeV
from the reaction products and 4.8 MeV from assuming energy multiplication
by neutrons absorbed in a surrounding lithium blanket) and f v " 2.8 1022
m3 /s for 120 keV deuterons, find the minimum electron temperature at which
energy multiplication is possible. For this critical temperature, what is the
probability that a deuteron will undergo a fusion reaction during its slowing
down? //+
2.48 Consider the angular or perpendicular diffusion of a fast proton with energy 40
keV injected into a Maxwellian electron-proton plasma that has Te = Ti = 1
keV and ne = 3 1019 m3 . Estimate the time at which Coulomb collisions
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CHAPTER 2. COULOMB COLLISIONS 56
scatter the velocity space angle of the fast proton through = v /v = 0.1
( 6 ). Compare this time to the fast ion slowing down time S defined in
(2.115), and discuss the physical reason why one of these times is much shorter
than the other. /+
2.49 Consider the proposition that an electric field E is applied to keep fast ions
with vT i << v << vT e from slowing down in a plasma. First, calculate the
momentum loss rate of the fast ion and find its minimum as a function of the
fast ion speed v. Next, calculate the minimum electric field [in terms of the
Dreicer field defined in (2.28)] required to prevent fast ions from slowing down.
Discuss the degree to which such an electric field would cause runaway electrons.
Finally, estimate the rates of perpendicular and parallel diffusion at the fast ion
speed at which the minimum momentum loss rate occurs, and discuss the effects
these processes might have on the proposed scheme (cf., Fig. 2.7). //+
2.50 Show that for a fast ion slowing down in the plasma described in Problem 2.40
the velocity friction and diffusion coefficients can be written to lowest order as
# $
%v&f vc3 v
= [Z]m + (Zeff + [Z]m ) 3
t v S
f
# 3
$
%vv& 1 v 2[Te + Teff (vc3 /v 3 )] vv
= Zeff c3 (v 2 I vv) +
t S v mf v2
in which the angular scattering Zeff is defined in (2.43), the energy transfer or
mass-weighted [Z]m is defined in Problem 2.40 and the effective ion temperature
is defined by
1 2 ni Zi2 /ne
Teff Ti .
[Z]m i (mi /mf )
How large is the most significant term that has been neglected in these approx-
imate results and where does it contribute for fast ions slowing down for the
situation described in Problem 2.48? //+
2.51 Write a Monte Carlo type computer code for exploring the Coulomb scattering
of energetic test electrons in an electron-proton plasma. Use it to determine
numerically the answers to parts a) and b) of Problem 2.12. //+
2.52 Write a Monte Carlo type computer code for exploring the Coulomb collision
processes for fast ions slowing down in an electron-ion plasma. Use it to deter-
mine numerically the answers to the questions in Problem 2.48. ///+
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 1
Chapter 3
Structure of Magnetic
Fields
field B both because for many plasmas embedded in magnetic fields the plasma-induced
currents are small and hence the magnetic permeability is approximately that of free space
(i.e., ! 0 ), and because most plasma calculations, which use the microscopic Maxwells
equations, assume that the charged particles in the plasma produce currents in free space
rather than doing so in a dielectric medium.
2 While magnetic field lines or lines of force do not in fact exist (at least in the sense
that they can be directly measured), they are very useful theoretical constructs for visualizing
magnetic fields.
3 However, closed magnetic flux surfaces do not exist in regions where the field lines are
chaotic. Also, there are sometimes null points of the magnetic field within the plasma for
example in the neutral sheet in the earths magnetosphere shown in Fig. 3.1b and along the
axis in the wiggler field for the free electron laser shown in Fig. 3.1f. In addition, certain
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 2
solar
N
S
wind
neutral!sheath
plasmasphere
a)!magnetic!mirror b)!earths!magnetosphere
c)!screw!pinch d)!tokamak
e)!stellarator f)!free!electron!laser!wiggler!field
of magnetic field lines bounded by a magnetic flux surface within the magnetic
components of the magnetic field may have null points as well for example the projection
of the magnetic field in a screw pinch tokamak or stellarator in Figs. 3.1ce along the helical
pitch of a given magnetic field line.
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 3
configuration. When nested magnetic flux surfaces exist, they usually provide
the most natural magnetic-field-based coordinate system because most plasma
processes (charged particle motion, flows, transport) are much more rapid along
magnetic field lines and within flux surfaces than across them.
The key magnetic field variations are evident in the magnetic field configura-
tions illustrated in Fig. 3.1. Namely, while magnetic field lines point in a given
direction at any specified point, they can curve and twist, and their density can
vary in space. The general properties of curves along a vector field such as the
magnetic field are summarized in Section D.6.
The first section of this chapter introduces simple models (quadratic and
sinusoidal magnetic well, and sheared slab magnetic field) that include the four
most important local magnetic field properties for plasma physics (namely, par-
allel and perpendicular gradients, curvature and shear). These simple models
will be used to explore the most fundamental effects of magnetic fields in many
areas of plasma physics throughout the remainder of this book. The second
section introduces the global magnetic field representations and magnetic-field-
based coordinate systems that are used in modeling plasma processes on (longer)
time scales where charged particles travel significant distances along magnetic
fields. While the magnetic fields in which plasmas are imbedded are seldom
straight in Cartesian coordinates, one can develop coordinate systems in which
the magnetic field lines are straight. Such coordinates greatly facilitate analyses
of magnetized plasmas. The third section develops the basic ideas of magnetic
island structures that can form in the sheared slab model when a resonant
perturbation is added. The next three sections discuss the simplest forms and
properties of magnetic field coordinate systems for open (Section 3.4) and closed
(Sections 3.5, 3.6) magnetic field systems. Finally, Section 3.7 gives the general
forms of all the local differential propoerties of the vector magnetic field gra-
dients, divergence, curvature, shear and torsion, and the general expansion of
the magnetic field B in terms of them.
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 4
The characteristic scale length L! is the parallel distance over which the mag-
netic field strength doubles in this lowest order approximation.
The magnetic field strength often varies sinusoidally along a magnetic field
line. A convenient model for this variation is
% &' % &(
Bmax Bmin 2!
Bsin (!) = Bmin + 1 cos
2 L!
!
= Bmin + B sin2 , sinusoidal (sin) model. (3.6)
L!
Here, Bmax is the maximum field strength along a field line which occurs at
! = L! /2 in this model, and B Bmax Bmin is the amplitude of the
variation of B along a field line within the periodicity length L! . The ! variation
of Bsin near its minimum can be represented by the parabolic well model in
(3.4) with L! = (Bmin /B)1/2 L! /. The ratio of the maximum to minimum
magnetic field strength along a field line is:
Bmax B
Rm = 1+ , magnetic mirror ratio. (3.7)
Bmin Bmin
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 5
Mirror ratios range from values of order 2 to 10 or more for typical magnetic
mirrors (Fig. 3.1a) and the earths magnetosphere (Fig. 3.1b), to only slightly
greater than unity in toroidal devices (Fig. 3.1d,e) where the magnetic field
strength varies only slightly as we move along the helical magnetic field lines
from the outside to the inside of the torus. Note from (3.3) that at an extremum
(minimum or maximum) of the magnetic field strength where B/! = 0 the
local unit vectors along field lines are divergence-free they neither converge
nor diverge.
The magnetic field can also vary both in magnitude and direction
in directions perpendicular (transverse) to the magnetic field direction. The
sheared slab model, which we now discuss, approximates the local perpendicular
variations of typical magnetic field structures that are most important in plasma
physics. In it a local Cartesian coordinate system is constructed at a given point.
The z axis is taken to be along the magnetic field at the point where a magnetic
field line passes through the origin of the coordinate system. The x axis is
taken to be in the radial (across flux surface) direction in which the most
significant variations (in plasma parameters and in the density of magnetic field
lines) occur in the plane perpendicular to the magnetic field. The y axis is
taken to be in the azimuthal (or within flux surface) direction of least variation;
i.e., it is the ignorable coordinate, at least approximately. For example, for
a cylindrical magnetized plasma we anticipate mainly a radial variation in the
plasma parameters: for this case the sheared slab model x, y, z coordinates
would correspond to r r0 , r0 and z where r = r0 is the cylindrical radius of
the magnetic field line that passes through the origin of the sheared slab model.
The word slab in the title of the model indicates that only a thin radial (x)
slice of the magnetic configuration is being considered.
A local expansion of the magnetic field that captures its most important
perpendicular variations is
'% & (
x z x
Bss = B0 1 + ez +
ex +
ey , sheared slab (ss) model,
LB RC LS
(3.8)
in which B0 is the strength of the magnetic field (or density of magnetic field
lines) at the origin where x (x, y, z) = (0, 0, 0). Here, as indicated in Fig. 3.2,
the ez term represents the lowest order magnetic field (the unity) and the per-
pendicular spatial gradient of its magnitude (1/LB ), the ex term represents the
magnetic field curvature (1/RC ), and the ey term represents the differential
twisting (shear, 1/LS ) of the magnetic field lines. These fundamental magnetic
field properties will be explained and defined more precisely below and in the
following sections. [Torsion (uniform twisting see Section 3.7 below and D.6)
of magnetic field lines such as in a uniform helical twist of the field lines in the
screw pinch shown in Fig. 3.1c is not included in the sheared slab model because
the ez vector is taken to be in a locally fixed rather than rotating direction.]
Since the model represents a Taylor series expansion of the magnetic field about
a given point, it is only valid for small distances from the origin |x/LB | << 1,
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 6
y y
B0
!"
x0 x0
x d! x
!"
z Rc
B z B x(!)
x0
d!
x
#"
y(!,!x)
!"
B
z
Ls
Figure 3.2: Magnetic field line characteristics included in the sheared slab mag-
netic field model. Each sketch indicates the behavior of magnetic field lines
when only the indicated coefficient does not vanish.
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 7
Thus, we identify
% &1
B d ln B
LB = , perpendicular B scale length, (3.10)
dB/dx dx
which again shows that 1/RC measures the curvature of the field line.
The formal definition of the curvature vector for a vector magnetic field
B Bb is [see (??) in Section D.6]
d2 x = RC ,
)b
2
= (b 2 B field curvature vector. (3.15)
d! RC
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 8
Evaluating this expression for the sheared slab model magnetic field in (3.8),
we obtain (near the origin where d! & dz and |x| << LB )
' (
b (z/RC )
ex + (x/LS )
ey 1
= & ez +
&
ex x
ex . (3.16)
! z 1 + x/LB RC
Note that the absolute value is needed because vectorially the radius of curvature
vector RC points in the opposite direction from the curvature vector: =
RC /Rc2 see Fig. ?? and Eq. (??) in Section D.6. Thus, for the sheared
slab model the vectorial radius of curvature is RC /||2 = RC ex , which
points from the point x = (RC , 0, 0) to the origin.
The magnetic field line curvature vector can in general be written in a more
illustrative and useful form (for situations where currents flow in the plasma)
using b B/B and the magnetostatic Amperes law B = 0 J:
)b
(b = b(
= b(B/B)
b)
=
b[(1/B)B]
b(B)/B b
= b( ln B) + 0 JB/B 2
= b
(1/B)[ b( )]B + 0 JB/B 2 , (3.18)
in which the vector identities (??), (??), and (??) have been used in successive
steps. Defining
(b
b b),
) = b( gradient perpendicular to B, (3.19)
0 JB
= ln B + , relation of curvature to B and J. (3.20)
B2
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 9
can be defined for our Cartesian coordinate system through the x derivative of
the y(!) coordinate variation along a magnetic field line:
' (
d dy(!)
shear . (3.22)
dx d!
For a magnetic field line near the origin of the sheared slab model coordinate
system, by geometry we have
dy(!) By x
& & .
d! B0 LS
Thus, in the sheared slab model we have
% & ' (
d dy d By (x) 1
shear & & . (3.23)
dx d! dx B0 LS
The shear length LS is the linear extrapolation distance in the x direction over
which the magnetic field would differentially twist through an angle of one radian
(i.e., to where By = B0 ). Integrating (3.22) a short distance (|z/LS | << 1) along
the field line that passes through the point x = (x, y0 , 0) yields an equation for
its trajectory (cf., Fig. 3.2b) in the yz plane:
y = y0 + x z/LS , for x = constant, (3.24)
which shows that 1/LS measures the differential twisting of the field lines out
of the the xz plane and hence the shear in the magnetic field lines.
is [see
The formal definition of the local shear in a vector field B B b
(3.151) below and (??) in Section D.6]
(b)
(b) (B) (B)
= , local shear
|b| 2 B 2 ||2
(3.25)
in which is the gradient of an assumed magnetic flux function and for
the last form we have used (3.1) and vector identities (??), (??) and (??). For
our sheared slab model x, x =
ex and thus b ex =
b
ez (x/LS )/(1 + x/LB ). Note that near the origin of the sheared slab model
ey
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 10
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 11
of plasma effects along and perpendicular to magnetic field lines. This section
discusses calculations of magnetic field lines, and magnetic field representations
and coordinate systems that describe the entire magnetic field structure.
The global structure of the magnetic field can in principle be obtained by
simply integrating the differential equations of a curve that follows a magnetic
field line. Defining x(!) to be the trajectory along a magnetic field line, the
vector dx(!)/d! that is locally tangent to the magnetic field is given by
$
dx(!) $$ B
= = b, field line equation. (3.28)
d! $along B B
This is the fundamental definition of a magnetic field line that we will use
throughout the remainder of this book. Taking the ex ,
ey , and
ez projections
of this fundamental field line definition, we obtain
dx dy dz d!
= = = . (3.29)
Bx By Bz B
Note that these field line differential equations can also be obtained from the
condition that a vector differential length d" along the magnetic field B must
be parallel to it: d"B = 0.
For simple magnetic field systems we can directly integrate the three inde-
pendent equations in (3.29) to obtain a mathematical description of the mag-
netic field. For example, we performed such integrations for the sheared slab
model in the special cases of no shear and little perpendicular gradient B or
curvature see (3.14) and (3.24). For such systems the constants of integra-
tion provide labels for the magnetic field lines x0 and y0 for the two special
sheared slab model cases. However, it is often impractical or impossible to
obtain a global magnetic field description by directly integrating the equations
that describe a magnetic field line trajectory. For example, integrating the three
equations for the complete sheared slab model in (3.8) results in a set of three
interrelated, implicit equations for which a closed solution is not possible, except
in the vicinity of the origin (see Problem 3.7).
For a magnetic field in free space (i.e., in a vacuum), or in the limit where
the currents flowing in the plasma are negligible, the equilibrium Amperes law
becomes simply B = 0. This equation can be satisfied by writing the
magnetic field in terms of a scalar potential M :
For this case the solenoidal (no magnetic monopoles) condition B = 0 be-
comes the Laplace equation
2 M = 0. (3.31)
Methods for solving the Laplace equation in various geometries are available in
many books on electromagnetic theory and other areas of physics. For magne-
tized plasmas such solutions are useful mainly in vacuum regions outside the
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 12
plasma, or as the lowest order magnetic field structure for cases where currents
in the plasma do not significantly change the magnetic field. However, for many
important magnetized plasma situations the electrical currents flowing in the
plasma are significant, and in fact very important, in determining the structure
and even topology of the magnetic field. Thus, solutions of (3.31) for vacuum
magnetic fields are not always useful for magnetized plasmas and we must look
elsewhere for broadly applicable descriptions.
Like any vector field subject to the solenoidal condition ( B = 0), the
magnetic induction field B can be written in terms of a vector potential A:
B = A. (3.32)
For example, an appropriate vector potential for the sheared slab model is
% &
x2 z2 x2
Ass = B0 x +
ey B0
ez , (3.33)
2LB 2RC 2LS
in which (x) and (x) are scalar stream functions (i.e., functions that are
constant along the vector field B) since B = B = 0. Note that the
representations of B in (3.32) and (3.34) are equivalent if we define
A = , or A = , (3.35)
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 13
Because the , stream functions label magnetic field lines in the plane
perpendicular to B, they can provide curvilinear coordinates perpendicular to
the magnetic field. There is no obvious choice for the coordinate along the
magnetic field. From physical considerations it is convenient to choose the
length ! (measured from some suitable surface) along field lines. [However,
other coordinates along the magnetic field are often used, e.g., dM = Bd!
for the vacuum magnetic field in (3.30)]. Unfortunately, the , , ! coordinates
are in general not orthogonal and not available in closed form solutions. These
complications plus their possible multivaluedness make them an awkward choice
as the basis for a magnetic-field-based coordinate system. However, because
of their simplicity and generality they are often useful for proofs concerning
equilibrium, stability and transport properties of magnetized plasmas.
Magnetic flux surfaces usually provide a better basis for developing magnetic-
field-based coordinate systems for plasma physics. The magnetic flux through
a surface S encompassed by a closed curve C is in general defined by
++ ++ ,
= dS B = dS A = d" A, magnetic flux, (3.36)
S S C
in which we have used Stokes theorem (??) in the last step. In this book we
will use a capital letter to indicate the total magnetic flux in its normal units
(webers), and a small Greek letter to indicate a magnetic flux component that
has been normalized in some way (e.g., often = /2). Since magnetic flux
surfaces encompass the bundle of magnetic field lines within the surface S, they
must satisfy
Thus, , which by definition [see (??)] is normal to the flux surface (x), is
orthogonal to the magnetic field B and hence to its field lines. That is, magnetic
field lines lie within (x) = constant surfaces.
For a Clebsch coordinate system with A = and a closed contour C ,
the magnetic flux becomes
++ , ,
= dS() B = d"() = d . (3.38)
S C C
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 14
When there is symmetry in the direction, the magnetic field component pro-
duced by the component of the vector potential in the direction can be
represented in terms of the corresponding magnetic flux by
% &
B = A = - , for symmetry in . (3.40)
d
This component of the magnetic field is labeled with a vector cross product
subscript () because it is orthogonal to both the symmetry coordinate and the
flux coordinate directions: B = 0, and B = 0. Note that is
clearly a magnetic flux function since it satisfies (3.37). As a simple example of
how to directly use these formulas for a single component magnetic field, Section
3.4 develops the magnetic flux (and Clebsch) coordinates for an axisymmetric
magnetic mirror.
These formulas can be used to develop magnetic flux coordinates for the
sheared slab model as follows. In the absence of magnetic shear (i.e., for 1/LS
0), the sheared slab model is symmetric in the y direction. For this case, the
dominant or main magnetic field - component in the sheared slab model can
be calculated by taking = y, d = y0 . Then, we use the rectangular
surface in the z = 0 plane specified by (see Fig. 3.3a) 0 x x0 and 0
y. y0.for calculating the magnetic flux in the z direction to yield z |z=0 =
x0 y
0
dx 0 0 dy Bz = (x0 + x20 /2LB )y0 B0 at z = 0. This magnetic flux is extended
to other (small) z values using the field line label x0 = x z 2 /2RC from (3.14)
to yield:
% &
x2 z2 y
z & x + y0 B0 & x y0 B0 , Ay y,
2LB 2RC y0
% & '% & (
z x z
Bmain = Ay = ey & B0 1 + ez +
ex . (3.41)
y0 LB RC
To determine a similar magnetic flux form for the auxiliary magnetic shear
component in the sheared slab model, we consider the case where the perpen-
dicular gradient in B and curvature are absent (i.e., 1/LB = 0 and 1/RC = 0),
and the field line label simplifies -to x0 = x. Then, there is symmetry in the
z direction, and we take = z, d = z0 . Using the rectangular surface in
the y = 0 plane specified
.x .by (see Fig. 3.3b) 0 x x0 and 0 z z0 , we
z
obtain y |y=0 = 0 0 dx 0 0 dz By = (x20 /2LS )z0 B0 . (The y magnetic flux
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 15
y
y
y0
x0
x
x0 x
z0 By(x)
B z
z
a)!!main!magnetic!flux!ym b)!!auxiliary!magnetic!flux!y*
Figure 3.3: Geometry of the surfaces through which the (a) main (z ) and (b)
auxiliary (y ) magnetic fluxes are calculated for the sheared slab magnetic field
model.
x2 y
y = Az
z0 B0 ,z,
2LS z0
% &
y x
Baux = Az = ez = B0
ey . (3.42)
z0 LS
The total magnetic field in the sheared slab model can be represented in
terms of its y and z magnetic flux components by adding these two results:
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 16
(e.g., the screw pinch in Fig. 3.1e and the tokamak in Fig. 3.1d). When there
is more than one magnetic field component and one of the components is in a
symmetry direction, the magnetic induction field B can be written in terms of
the magnetic flux components associated with a main (parallel to a symmetry
or periodicity direction) and an auxiliary (perpendicular to the dominant sym-
metry direction, or due to shear, torsion) component of the magnetic field. Each
magnetic field component can be written in terms of the relevant magnetic flux
in a Clebsch form using (3.40).
In general, representations of B fields can always be constructed with two
magnetic flux functions. They are quite useful in plasma physics. A single or
total Clebsch form can be developed from them whenever the two flux functions
are single valued functions of each other, which happens when they represent
configurations with closed, nested toroidal magnetic flux surfaces. Examples of
such systems include axisymmetric toroidal configurations (see Section 3.6) and
some regions of stellarators.
For toroidal magnetic configurations with helical magnetic field lines there
are two natural cyclic coordinates: the toroidal (long way around the torus) and
poloidal (short way) angles and . For the moment these will be arbitrarily-
defined angles; they are only required to span their respective spaces. Then, in
analogy with (3.41) and (3.42), it can be shown in general that the magnetic
field can be written in the form of toroidal (tor) and poloidal (pol) magnetic
field and flux components:
The natural sign of the poloidal magnetic flux pol would be negative for this
geometry because of the choice of , , as a right-handed set of coordinates;
however, by convention its sign is changed in this definition. The magnetic axis
(origin) for the poloidal angle coordinate is defined to be the line on which
Bpol (pol /2) vanishes.
In regions where a set of nested toroidal magnetic flux surfaces exist, the
poloidal flux function is a single-valued (monotonic) function of the toroidal
flux function and hence can be written in terms of it: pol = pol (tor ). Then,
the poloidal and toroidal angles can be modified ( f and f ), so that
magnetic field lines are straight in them (hence, the f subscript indicating
proper flux surface coordinates). (See Section 3.6 for the development of such
straight-field-line coordinates for axisymmetric toroidal configurations.) Thus,
for toroidal configurations with nested flux surfaces, the magnetic field in (3.44)
can be written compactly in the Clebsch form
% & / 0 1 2
tor
B = f f , toroidal flux surfaces B field,
2 2
(3.45)
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 17
which is the slope (df /df ) of the magnetic field lines in the f f plane. Here,
is the small Greek letter iota; it is divided by 2 in many formulas to represent
the angle of field line rotation (per toroidal transit) in radians. For this model
magnetic field we identify the Clebsch coordinates as = tor /2 and =
f (/2) f . Along magnetic field lines we have d = dtor /2 = 0 and d = 0
or df = (/2) df = f = (/2) f + constant. Thus, magnetic field lines are
straight in the tor =constant, f f plane. For such toroidal configurations the
natural magnetic field curvilinear coordinates are those based on the magnetic
flux coordinates tor , f , and f , which unfortunately are not usually orthogonal.
Nonetheless, since /2 is typically not a rational number (ratio of integers,
see Section 3.6), the magnetic flux coordinates usually provide a more useful
description than the Clebsch coordinates because of the multivaluedness of
the coordinate in f and f and because ! (or some other coordinate along field
lines) is not one of the natural coordinates of the magnetic field description.
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 18
-!2 -!1 !0 !1 !2
z
B
2
! 1 r
R N
!"
B
0!=!0 M
Z S r0
0
1
2
|B| |B|
Bmax
2Bmin
Bmin
Figure 3.4: Two fundamental types of axisymmetric open magnetic field config-
urations: a) (on left) axisymmetric or simple magnetic mirror; and b) (on right)
a dipole magnetic field such as that due to the earths magnetic dipole.
Here, we have taken = and used (3.39) to - identify the magnetic flux for
an axisymmetric magnetic mirror as m = d = 2. A vector potential
that produces this magnetic field is A = (m /2) = (m /2R) e . This
representation can also be used to describe the bumpy cylinder magnetic field
produced by a set of solenoidal coils confining a cylindrical column of magnetized
plasma (see Problems 3.1 and 3.12).
The magnetic field structure in an axisymmetric magnetic mirror is one of
the simplest nontrivial magnetic configurations. In particular, as can be seen
from Fig. 3.4a, because of the axisymmetry, it has no gradient of B or curvature
in the azimuthal () direction, Also, it has no shear or torsion. However, there
are axial (and parallel) and radial gradients of B in an axisymmetric mirror.
Further, the magnetic field lines have normal (see Section D.6) curvature (N
m -= 0). When the sheared slab model in (3.8) is used to describe the
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 19
Here, we have anticipated from (3.49) that B & BZ and ! & Z near R =
0, Z = 0, and in the last form we have used the quadratic well approximation
of (3.4). The radial magnetic field component BR is nonzero and negative to
provide the needed (for B = 0) convergence (dR/d! BR < 0) of the field
lines as the magnetic field strength increases away from the mirror midplane
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 20
(B/! > 0) see discussion after (3.3). Using (3.50) in (3.48), the length !
along a magnetic field line is given for small R (<< L! ) and ! (<< L! ) by
d! 1 BR2
= 1+ + = ! = Z[1 + R2 Z 2 /6L4! + ],
dZ 2 BZ2
eZ (1 + R2 Z 2 /2L4! + ) +
! = eR (RZ 3 /3L4! + ). (3.51)
Note that for R -= 0 the distance ! along field lines is longer than the axial
distance Z, and that this lengthening effect increases with the cylindrical radius
R. Note also that for this simple mirror ! does not point in the same direction
eR in ! is positive while BR < 0.
as B since the coefficient of
The total magnetic flux m within a cylindrical radius R can be determined
approximately at the Z = 0 plane by neglecting the slight variation of B with
R, and then extended along field lines using R R(!) and B(Z = 0) B(!):
++ + 2 + R
m dS B = d R% dR% B & R2 B(Z = 0) = R2 (!)B(!).
Z=0 0 0
(3.52)
The gradient of m , which defines one of the directions in the magnetic flux
coordinate system, is
(m /2) & BR R + (R2 /2)(B/Z)Z & BR [
eR + (RZ/L2! )
eZ ].
/R in (3.47) yields the desired magnetic
Using this result together with = e
field direction and magnitude variation along field lines for an axisymmetric
mirror near R = 0, Z = 0.
The magnetic flux within a given bundle of magnetic field lines is conserved
(since B m = 0) as we move along the field lines and the magnetic field
strength varies. Thus, the radius R(!) of a given magnetic flux surface (or field
line) can be determined from (3.52),
# #
m Bmin
R(!) & = R(0) , radius of flux surface. (3.53)
B(!) B(!)
Hence, the radius of a flux surface varies inversely with the square root of the
field strength flux surfaces get smaller in radius R as we move toward the
mirror throats.
The normal (m or radial direction) curvature of the magnetic field lines
can be obtained from the second derivative of R(!) along a field line: R
d2 R(!)/d!2 . Near the axis of symmetry and midplane of a simple mirror it is
given by
R & R/L2! , for R, |Z| << L! . (3.54)
[This result can also be obtained from the definition R d(BR /B)/d! from
(3.15) see Problem 3.11]. Thus, as is obvious physically from the axisymmet-
ric magnetic mirror geometry, the radius of curvature RC 1/|R | is infinite on
the symmetry axis (R = 0), but is finite for R -= 0 and decreases as R increases.
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 21
The variation of |B| in the radial (R) direction can be estimated from the
magnetic field curvature as follows. First, we recall that for small R, Z the
magnetic field can be expanded as indicated in (3.49). Next, we assume that
the plasma electrical current in the direction is small and can be neglected.
Then, the component of the equilibrium (/t 0) Amperes law becomes
BR BZ ln BZ
e B =
0 = & BZ (R ).
Z R R
Thus, as we could also have deduced from (3.18), we have
! "
ln BZ R Z2 R2
& R & 2 = BZ & Bmin 1 + 2 . (3.55)
R L! L! 2L2!
Hence, as can be discerned by looking at the density of the field lines sketched
in Fig. 3.4a, there is a saddle point in the magnetic field strength at the center
(R = 0, Z = ! = 0) of the simple mirror |B| increases along field lines
( 2 B/!2 > 0 near |Z| = 0), but decreases radially (B/R < 0, for R -=
0). Within the axisymmetric model of the magnetic mirror field, |B| always
decreases with radius R; hence the region near R = 0, Z = 0 is a magnetic hill
radially, but a magnetic well axially. It will turn out (see Chapter 21) that for
macroscopic plasma stability we need to place the plasma in a global magnetic
well (B/R > 0, 2 B/Z 2 > 0). A minimum-B or magnetic well mirror
configuration can be created by adding nonaxisymmetric, multipolar magnetic
fields that are produced by currents in alternating directions in a set of axial
wires (Ioffe bars) outside the mirror coils (see Section 21.1).
Next, we consider the axisymmetric magnetic field generated by the earths
magnetic dipole, as indicated in Fig. 3.4b. Since the electrical currents in the
plasma near the earth are too weak to significantly affect the magnetic field,
we need only calculate the vacuum field induced by the earths dipole magnetic
moment E Md ez . The magnetic potential d induced by a point magnetic
dipole is given by ({0 /4} 1 for mks cgs units)
6 7 x
0
d = E
, magnetic potential for dipole field. (3.57)
4 |x|3
Using the spherical coordinate system shown in Fig. 3.4b, outside the earth
(r > RE ) the magnetic potential becomes
6 7 M 6 7 M sin
0 d ez x 0 d
d = = (3.58)
4 |x|3 4 r2
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 22
in which |x| = r is the distance from the center of the earth. Here, we have used
ez x = z = r cos = r sin in which = /2 is the angle characterizing
That this form reproduces the field components in (3.59) can be shown using
= e /(r cos ), e =
er e , e =
e er (because = /2 ). Note
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 23
also that the dipole magnetic field can be represented by the vector potential
A = (d /2) = (d /2r) e .
Like the simple mirror, the earths dipole magnetic field has no shear or
torsion. However, there is normal (radial) curvature and, since this is a nearly
vacuum field, a concomitant radial gradient of |B|. Using (3.60) and J & 0 in
(3.20), we find for all
3 r
r = ln B = , LB = RC = , curvature of vacuum dipole field.
r r 3
(3.63)
Note that for the dipole field the radius of curvature is independent of latitude
and equal to its obvious value of 3/r in the equatorial plane ( = 0). When
the sheared slab model in (3.8) is used to describe the local magnetic field in
the earths dipole field, we make the following associations: (x, y, z) (, , !),
1/LB r , x r , and 1/LS = 0.
Since mathematical descriptions of nonaxisymmetric open magnetic con-
figurations usually depend on the specifics of the particular case, we will not
develop any in detail. While the characteristics of particular open magnetic
configurations can be quite important for specific effects, the lowest order or
most fundamental properties of open configurations are usually dominated by
the open rather than closed nature of the field lines, the magnetic mirrors along
B, and the B and curvature of the field lines. These latter properties are all
included in the axisymmetric models developed above. Thus, the axisymmetric
simple mirror or dipole field models provide appropriate lowest order magnetic
field models for all open configurations.
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 24
Figure 3.5: Screw pinch model of tokamak magnetic field geometry. The axial
periodicity length 2R0 represents the periodicity of the tokamak in the toroidal
direction.
The key parameter that describes the degree of toroidicity in all toroidal
magnetic configurations is the reciprocal of the aspect ratio. The aspect ratio A
is defined as the ratio of the major (R0 ) to minor (r) radius of a given magnetic
flux surface in the torus. The degree of toroidicity in toroidal configurations is
indicated by the parameter
r 1
0 = , inverse aspect ratio. (3.64)
R0 A
This is a small number for magnetic flux surfaces inside most standard toka-
maks whose aspect ratios at the plasma edge typically range from 2.5 to 5. Thus,
it will be used as an expansion parameter in the analysis of tokamak magnetic
field systems.
There are two classes of intrinsically toroidal effects in tokamaks that need
to be taken into account for small but finite 0. First, there are the effects due
to the toroidal curvature: the toroidal curvature of the magnetic field lines and
the differences in the magnetic field strength on the inner (small R) and outer
(large R) sides of the torus [see Eq. (3.110) in the next section]. Second, and
most importantly, there is the double periodicity of the system in the toroidal
(long way around the torus) and poloidal (short way) angle variables and .
In the screw pinch (periodic cylinder) model of the tokamak the double
periodicity is taken into account, but the toroidal curvature effects are neglected.
This model uses an r, , z cylindical geometry, as indicated in Fig. 3.5. In the
screw pinch model, r reresents the minor radius (or flux surface label) and
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 25
represents the poloidal angle in the tokamak. The tokamaks periodicity in the
toroidal angle is modeled by requiring periodicity in the axial coordinate z
over the toroidal length of the torus, 2R0 . Thus, the axial distance z in the
screw pinch is associated with the tokamak toroidal angle through
z = R0 . (3.65)
The magnetic field in a tokamak has two components. The main, toroidal
(, z) magnetic field Btor is produced by electrical currents flowing poloidally
mainly in coils wrapped poloidally around the torus, but also within the plasma.
The smaller (for 0 << 1) poloidal () magnetic field Bpol is produced by the
toroidal component of current flowing in the plasma. In the screw pinch model
both components can depend on the minor radius r, although the variation
of |Btor | with r is weak for typical tokamaks. Thus, the magnetic field in a
tokamak is modeled by
Note that in the screw pinch model there is symmetry in the z, directions and
er dx/d! = Br /B = 0).
magnetic field lines lie on constant radius (r) surfaces (
The poloidal magnetic field is related to the axial component of the current
density J through the axial component of the equilibrium Amperes law:
1 d
ez B = 0
ez J = [ rB (r) ] = 0 Jz (r). (3.67)
r dr
Integrating this equation using the boundary condition (by symmetry) that
B = 0 at r = 0 yields
+
0 r % % 0 Iz (r)
B (r) = r dr Jz (r% ) = , poloidal magnetic field, (3.68)
r 0 2r
..
in which Iz (r) dS(z) J is the axial current flowing within a radius r.
Similarly, the radial variation of the toroidal magnetic field Bz is related to
the poloidal current density through e B = 0 J = dBz /dr = 0 J ,
which upon integration using the boundary condition that the currents in the
external poloidal coils and the plasma produce a toroidal magnetic field strength
of Bz (0) B0 on the axis (r = 0) yields
' + (
0 r %
Bz (r) = B0 1 dr J (r ) & B0 , toroidal magnetic field. (3.69)
%
B0 0
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 26
The magnetic fluxes associated with the toroidal and poloidal magnetic fields
in the screw pinch model can be determined by calculating the magnetic fluxes
in the z and symmetry directions (see Fig. 3.5):
++ + r
tor dS(z) Btor = 2 r% dr% Bz (r% ), toroidal magnetic flux, (3.70)
0
++ + r
pol dS() Bpol = 2R0 dr% B (r% ), poloidal magnetic flux. (3.71)
0
The screw pinch magnetic field (3.66) can be written in terms of these magnetic
fluxes using (3.40) or A = (tor /2) (pol /2)(z/R0 ):
in which we have used the definition of = (r) in (3.46). The last form is a
Clebsch representation with = tor /2 and = (/2) (z/R0 ). For this
Clebsch representation, the equation for a magnetic field line is d = 0 =
tor (r) = constant = r = constant and d = 0 = d = (/2) dz/R0 =
= z (/2R0 ) + constant. Thus, the magnetic field lines in a screw pinch lie
on r = constant surfaces and are naturally straight in the z plane with a
constant helical pitch (see Fig. 3.1c):
d (r)
= , helical pitch of field lines. (3.73)
dz 2R0
Note that the screw pinch model magnetic field is in the toroidal flux form of
(3.45) with the straight field line coordinates identified as f and f z/R0 .
It is customary to characterize the inverse of the pitch of the helix of magnetic
field lines in a tokamak by a global measure (see Fig. 3.8 and discussion in next
section) which is the number of toroidal (or axial periodicity length) transits of
a magnetic field line per poloidal transit ( increasing from 0 to 2):
The q value is also known as the safety factor because, as we will see in
Chapter 21, it must be greater than unity for macroscopic plasma stability in
a tokamak. Typical radial profiles for the poloidal and toroidal currents and
magnetic fields and the consequent q profile are shown in Fig. 3.6. As indicated,
q typically ranges from about unity on axis to a value of 35 at the plasma
edge. In terms of q the helical pitch of the field lines in (3.73) becomes simply
d/dz = 1/R0 q.
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 27
Figure 3.6: Radial profiles for a typical large aspect ratio tokamak: a) currents,
b) magnetic fields, and c) toroidal winding number q.
Thus, the normal magnetic flux representation of the screw pinch model for a
tokamak is
B = (q z/R0 ) & B0
ez +
ez , screw pinch field, (3.76)
in which the approximate form indicates the lowest order form in the large
aspect ratio limit 0 << 1. Working out the magnetic field components from
either (3.66) or (3.76) using (3.74), we obtain
' ( ' (
r 0
B Bz ez + B e = Bz (r) ez + ez +
e & B0 e , (3.77)
R0 q(r) q
For typical tokamaks 0/q 0.1 << 1, so usually the poloidal () magnetic field
is smaller than the toroidal (dominant) magnetic field by about an order of
magnitude. Thus, for typical tokamaks the approximate equalities at the end of
equations (3.69), and (3.76)(3.79) and subsequent ones in this section apply.
Note also that hence the helical field lines in typical tokamaks have only a slight
twist angle (torsion): r d/dz = r/R0 q = 0/q << 1.
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 28
In the screw pinch model the magnetic field strength is constant along a
magnetic field line; hence from (3.3) the screw pinch model magnetic field unit
B/B neither converge or diverge. However, the magnetic field in
vectors b
this model does have torsion, curvature, a perpendicular gradient and shear.
For the screw pinch model the unit vector along the magnetic field is
% & % &
B = 1
b ez +
r
e &
0
ez + e . (3.80)
B h R0 q q
Using the definition of the torsion in (??) with a unit normal
N = /|| =
er , we find that for the screw pinch model
)(b
er ) = r
e 1
= (b (
e ) = 2
e , torsion. (3.81)
hR0 q h h R0 q
Here, we have used the vector identities (??), (??) and (??) along with =
e /r to show that
( e =
e ) e ) =
e ( e (r) =
e ( e )/r =
er er /r;
(3.82)
er (
hence e = 1/r. Thus, the distance along a magnetic field line over
e )
which it twists helically through one radian in the screw pinch model is
The torsion vector can also be written in terms of the magnetic field com-
ponents as = (B Bz /rB 2 ) er see Problem 3.19. Note also that in the
tokamak limit of 0/q << 1 the helical pitch of the field lines given in (3.73)
becomes simply the torsion r .
The curvature in the screw pinch model is worked out similarly using the
vector identities (??) and (3.82):
)b
= r r r
(b (
e ) e =
er , curvature. (3.84)
hR0 q hR0 q (hR0 q)2
The curvature of magnetic field lines in the screw pinch model can be writ-
ten in terms of the magnetic field components as = (B2 /rB 2 ) er see
Problem 3.19. The curvature length RC 1/|r | = (hR0 q)2 /r & R0 q(q/0) is
much longer than the torsion length L & R0 q in the screw pinch model of a
tokamak because the curvature is produced only by the poloidal motion of the
small pitch helical field lines. The perpendicular (radial) gradient scale length
[LB B/(dB/dr)] is of the order of the curvature radius RC . However, since
the difference depends on the current and plasma pressure profiles, it will not
be worked out until Chapter 20. Note also that since the curvature is only in
the radial direction there is only normal curvature. Because the magnetic field
lines do not have curvature within a magnetic flux surface, there is no geodesic
curvature see (??) in Section D.6.
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 29
Finally, it can be shown (see Problem 3.25) that for the screw pinch model
the local magnetic shear defined in (??) and (3.25) becomes (see Problem 3.19
for the form of the magnetic shear in terms of the magnetic field components
B and Bz ):
% &
1 r d 1
(b er ) (ber ) = = 2 . (3.85)
LS h R0 dr q
Note that in the screw pinch model the shear is constant on a magnetic flux sur-
face (r = constant). Recalling from (3.74) that 1/q is just the radian rotational
transform /2 of the helical field lines, the local shear can be written as
1 r d r dq s s
= = = 2 = 2 & , magnetic shear,
LS 2h2 R0 dr h R0 q 2 dr h R0 q R0 q
(3.86)
in which
r dq
s(r) , magnetic shear parameter, (3.87)
q dr
is an order unity magnetic shear parameter commonly used in stability analyses
of tokamak plasmas. There is magnetic shear in large aspect ratio tokamaks
only if.the axial current density Jz varies with radius r since B (r)/r
r
(1/r2 ) 0 r% dr% Jz (r% ). By convention, in tokamak plasma analyses the sign of
the shear is reversed so that s > 0 indicates positive or normal magnetic
shear, and s < 0 indicates reversed or abnormal shear.
Having delineated the local differential properties in the screw pinch model,
we can now develop a sheared slab model for it. At finite r since the curvature
and perpendicular gradient scale lengths are so long (compared to the torsion
and shear lengths) their effects are usually neglected in the simplest slab models.
As indicated previously, the sheared slab model does not include torsion effects.
Thus, the local sheared slab model for the screw pinch model of a tokamak near
a field line at a radius r0 is simply
Bss = B0 b + b
aux = B0 [ b + (x/LS )
e ]. (3.88)
in which
% & % &
x2 1 0 0
aux B0 , and
e er =
b e ez & e ez .
2LS h q q
(3.89)
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 30
plasmas. In RFPs the toroidal and poloidal currents are much larger than those
in a tokamak (by a factor 1/0 A >> 1). In particular, the poloidal current
J is so large that it causes the toroidal magnetic field to reverse direction in the
edge of the plasma [see (3.69)] hence the name of the confinement concept.
The toroidal current in an RFP produces a poloidal magnetic field B that is
so large that q 0 and the small 0/q expansion that is used for tokamaks is
inappropriate. Such a large poloidal magnetic field also produces an order unity
helical pitch of the magnetic field lines; magnetic field lines in an RFP rotate
poloidally and toroidally on about the same length scales, and even become a
reversed direction helix (q < 0) in the edge of the plasma. For such a magnetic
field structure the curvature is clearly dominated by the poloidal motion of
the field lines; the toroidal curvature effects are higher order. Thus, to lowest
order the general [before the approximate equalities (&)] screw pinch model
developed in this section is often used to approximately describe reversed field
pinch plasmas. When a more precise description including toroidicity effects
is needed the full magnetic flux description developed in the following section
must be used.
Btor = Btor
e = R Btor I , toroidal magnetic field, (3.90)
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 31
Here, the minus sign occurs because the differential line element on the curve
C along the perimeter of the surface S is in the direction: d" e d.
Thus, the toroidal field function I represents the poloidal current Ipol flowing
in the plasma and coils outside it. For isotropic pressure plasmas I = I(), i.e.,
I/ = 0.
In the limit of no current flowing in the plasma, the toroidal field function
I is constant and determined by the poloidal currents flowing in the toroidal
magnetic field coils around the plasma. Then, as can be inferred [see (??)] from
the magnetic field caused by current flowing in an infinite wire on the symmetry
axis (R = 0), the vacuum toroidal magnetic field strength decreases as one over
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 32
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 33
Thus, the poloidal flux function satisfies the flux surface condition (3.37);
hence, magnetic field lines in axisymmetric toroidal systems lie on = con-
stant surfaces and will be a convenient magnetic flux surface label and radial
coordinate. Note that, by construction and because of axisymmetry, is a suit-
able magnetic flux function for both the toroidal and poloidal magnetic fields.
Thus, we can develop a combined magnetic fluxes and Clebsch magnetic field
representation like (3.45) based on it.
So far we have identified two useful curvilinear coordinates for describing
the tokamak magnetic field: the axisymmetry angle for the toroidal angle and
the poloidal magnetic flux function for the radial variable. Next, we need
to identify a useful poloidal angle variable. We would like to have a poloidal
angle coordinate in which magnetic field lines are straight. Thus, we would like
a poloidal angle such that the magnetic field representation could be put in the
combined Clebsch and magnetic flux representation given by (3.45), with /2
replaced by 1/q and tor /2 replaced by for a tokamak representation.
In order to put the tokamak magnetic field (3.98) in the form of (3.45), the
toroidal magnetic field (3.90) must be put into the straight-field-line form
Btor = (q) = B = (q ) (3.100)
in which f (tokamak convention) is the desired straight field line poloidal
angle. Taking the dot product of the two forms of Btor given in (3.90) and
(3.100) with and equating them, we obtain
Btor = I = I/R2
= (q) = q () = q Bpol (3.101)
in which we have used q = 0 [because q is only a function of see
(3.105) below] and the order of the vector operations has been rearranged using
(??) and (??). Equating the results on the two lines of (3.101), we find
Bpol = I/qR2 = B , (3.102)
where the last equality follows from the fact that since by axisymmetry the
angle must be independent of , Btor = 0; thus, B = Bpol .
Defining a differential length d!pol in the poloidal direction on a magnetic flux
surface, the last form of (3.101) yields
+
1 I 1 !pol d!pol I
= = = , (3.103)
!pol B !pol qR2 q B !pol R2
in which the integration is to be performed at constant , . The poloidal length
variable !pol can be defined in terms of the ordinary cylindrical angle about the
magnetic axis. Taking the dot product of the field line equation (3.28) with
and !pol , we find that the poloidal length variable is related to the cylindrical
angle by
dx B dx !pol B !pol d d!pol
= , = = = .
d! B d! B B B !pol
(3.104)
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 34
Integrating the last form of (3.103) over one complete poloidal traversal of
the flux surface, which we define to be = 2, we obtain an expression for the
toroidal winding number:
, ,
1 d!pol I 1 d I
q() = =
2 B !pol R2 2 B R2
or,
, ,
1 B 1 rBtor rBtor
q() = d & d & [1 + O{02 }]. (3.105)
2 B 2 RBpol RBpol
Here, we have used I/R2 = B from (3.101) and indicated in the approxi-
mate equalities (here and below) the forms that result in the large aspect ratio
limit (0 << 1). Note that the lowest order, approximate form for q agrees with
the screw pinch model result (3.74).
The toroidal winding number q may be an integer or the ratio of two integers
(e.g., q = m/n); then, a magnetic field line on that surface would close on itself
after an integer number of poloidal (n) and toroidal (m) transits around the
torus see (3.74) and Fig. 3.8. Such a surface is called a rational surface.
All magnetic field lines on a rational surface rotate with the same rotational
transform , running forever parallel to adjacent field lines on the flux surface;
hence, they sample only a given field line on the flux surface. On the other hand,
if q is not the ratio of two integers, then the flux surface is called irrational. Thus,
we define (see Fig. 3.8)
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 35
It can be shown using steps like the last few ones in (3.105) that, to lowest order
in a large aspect ratio expansion (e.g., near the magnetic axis), the straight field
line coordinate is equal to the local cylindrical coordinate :
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 36
major radius of the magnetic axis (R0 ) and the local cylindrical coordinates by
Using this approximate representation in the equation for the vacuum magnetic
field strength variation with R given in (3.93) and the fact that in our tokamak
model B & Btor [ 1 + O{02 /q 2 }], we obtain
B = B(, ) & B(r, ) & B0 [ 1 0 cos + O{02 }], tokamak field strength.
(3.110)
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 37
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 38
1/A << 1) after an approximate equality sign (&). While the discussion has fo-
cused on the tokamak magnetic field structure, the general development applies
to any axisymmetric toroidal system. Thus, it applies to spherical tokamaks
[very low aspect ratio (A 1.11.5) tokamaks], spheromaks [effectively unity
aspect ratio tokamaks without toroidal field coils] and reversed field pinches
[effectively tokamaks with very low q 0 << 1]. For spherical tokamaks and
spheromaks the full generality of the magnetic flux coordinates must be used
because a large aspect ratio expansion is invalid except for small radius flux
surfaces near the magnetic axis where a large aspect ratio expansion can be
used. As indicated at the end of the preceding section, the general screw pinch
model represents reversed field pinches except for the purely toroidal effects
(variation of B from the outer to inner edge of the torus and toroidal curva-
ture of field lines). These latter effects are included in the general magnetic
flux model developed in this section. In summary, the general magnetic flux
surface model developed in this section is appropriate for describing all types of
axisymmetric toroidal magnetic field configurations tokamaks, reversed field
pinches, spherical tokamaks, and spheromaks.
in which B0 is the magnetic induction field at the chosen point, x is the vector
distance from this point, and B0 represents the evaluation of the tensor B at
this point. The second and higher order terms in (3.120) will be neglected since
we are interested here only in the local properties of non-pathological magnetic
fields for which the first derivatives provide a sufficient description.
This section uses a number of vector differentiation identities and seeks to
connect the local magnetic field derivatives to the common definitions of most
of these properties for arbitrary vector fields. These subjects are summarized
briefly in Appendix D, and in particular in the Section D.6. Readers are en-
couraged to read the relevant sections in Appendix D in conjunction with this
section.
As usual we decompose the magnetic induction field B(x) into its vector
direction and scalar magnitude components at any spatial point x by writing
= B(x) b(x),
B(x) = B b (3.121)
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 39
in which
B(x) |B(x)| = B B, magnetic field strength, (3.122)
b(x) B(x)/B(x) = B/B, unit vector along B(x). (3.123)
in which we have worked out the last two cross terms using vector differentiation
identities (??) and (??) as follows:
ey (
=
ex )b ey [(ex b) + b
ex ( b) (
ex ) + (b )
ex ]
=
ey ey + )
ey (b ex = ey ey )
ex (b ey ,
(3.128)
yx .
and similarly for (b)
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 40
Taking the derivative of the equation along a magnetic field line given in
(3.28) yields the second derivative of the field lines coordinate and hence the
local curvature of the magnetic field [d/d! (b )]:
d2 b(!)
)b
= (b = b(
b), curvature vector, (3.129)
d!2
= 0). The zx, zy
which is perpendicular to the local magnetic field (b
components of the tensors b can be written in terms of the x, y components
of the curvature vector:
zx =
(b) )b
ex (b =
ex x ,
zy = )b
= (3.130)
(b) ey (b ey y .
The x component of the curvature vector is the same as the x in the sheared
slab model given by (3.16) and (3.21). From geometrical considerations the
radius of the curvature vector RC is antiparallel to the curvature vector .
Hence it is given by
RC = /2 , or = RC /RC
2
, radius of curvature. (3.131)
) (b
= (b )
ex ) = (b ey , torsion vector. (3.132)
x )
ex (b ey = )
ey (b ex , (3.133)
x
ex ey ) (b
ex = (b ey ), shear in surface perpendicular to x,
(3.134)
y
ey ex ) (b
ey = (b ex ), shear in surface perpendicular to y.
(3.135)
That these quantities represent the local shear in the vector field B can be
seen by realizing that, for example, b ex represents the surface locally per-
pendicular to ex ) represents the tangential motion (see Fig. ??) or
ey , (b
ex ) (b
differential twisting of this surface, and (b ex ) is the component
ey . Note that if
of this differential twisting in the original direction ex (or
ey )
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 41
Thus, the xx and yy (or diagonal matrix element) components of the b tensor
represent the x and y components of the divergence of the unit vector b. We
define these divergence () components of the vector field B as follows:
ex (
x = (1/B)[
ex )b ex (
ex )B],
(3.139)
ey (
y
ey )b = (1/B)[
ey (
ey )B].
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 42
in which the differential parameters of the magnetic field, including some new
gradient () ones which we have introduced here, are defined by:
x B1 [
ex (
ex )B], y B1 [ ey (
ey )B],
1
z B (b )B, divergence,
ex (b )b,
x
ey (b )b,
y curvature,
x )
ex (b ey , y ey (b ) ex = x , torsion, (3.142)
x
ex ex , y
ey ey , shear,
ex ln B,
x ey ln B,
y
ln B0 = z ,
z b gradient B.
Using the expression for B in (3.120) yields the following Taylor series expan-
sion for the magnetic induction field B:
( 1 + x ln B)
Ble & B0 [ b lowest order + gradient (B)
+ z curvature, (b )b = x
ex + y
ey
+ x (x ex )
ey y torsion, x
ex = 12 b(x
ey y 2
+ y2 )
+ (x y
ey y xex ) shear
+ (x xex + y y
ey ) ] divergence
(3.143)
( 1 + xx + yy + zz )
= B0 [ b
+ ex (zx yx yx + xx ) +
ey (zy + xx + xy + yy )].
Note that this general result simplifies to the sheared slab model (3.8) when the
parameters y , z , y x , x , x , y and z all vanish, i.e., when the magnetic
field does not vary in the y, z directions, and there is no shear in the x direction
and no torsion of the magnetic field lines.
The solenoidal condition ( B = 0) will be satisfied by this local expansion
as long as
1 1 1 ln B = x + y + z .
0= Ble = [ ex )B] + [
ex ( ey )B] + b
ey (
B B B
(3.144)
Thus, the three diagonal components of the matrix of B tensor elements are
not independent; there are only 8 independent components of the B tensor.
The curl of our local approximation of the magnetic induction field B is
given by
Ble = B0 [ b( (b
ln B + ) + b b)
], (3.145)
in which we have made use of (3.136). As in the sheared slab model, for plasma
equilibrium situations where the magnetostatic Amperes law applies, the cur-
rents flowing in the plasma provide further constraint relations between the
various local differential parameters involved in (3.145). In particular, since cur-
rents perpendicular to magnetic fields are typically small, usually & ln B
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 43
b
b( ln B), i.e., the curvature vector is approximately equal to the
perpendicular gradient of the magnetic field strength. Also, the parallel shear
(parallel component of vorticity in the magnetic field b b = 0 B J/B 2 ) is
nonzero only if current flows along the magnetic field, i.e, B J -= 0.
The curvature, shear and perpendicular gradient properties of a magnetic
field were discussed in the context of the sheared slab model in Section 3.1.
They are illustrated in Fig. 3.2 and their effects mathematically described in
(3.14) and (3.24). The additional magnetic field line properties of torsion and
divergence can be understood as follows.
Eliminating all but the torsion terms in (3.143), the x, y, z equations govern-
ing the trajectory of a magnetic field line deduced from (3.28) become simply
dx dy dz
= y x , = x x , = 1 = ! = z.
d! d! d!
Dividing the second equation by the first yields
dy x
= = d (x2 + y 2 ) = 0,
dx y
whose solution is
This result can be used to reduce the equation for dx/d! = dx/dz to one in only
two variables:
dx x
= y x = (r02 x2 )1/2 x = arcsin = z x + constant.
dz r0
The equations governing a field line with torsion x that passes through the
point x0 , y0 are thus given by
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 44
Figure 3.9: Additional magnetic field line characteristics. In each sketch the
nature of magnetic field lines are indicated when only the identified coefficient(s)
do not vanish.
This result shows that the divergence (x > 0) in the xz plane (cf., Fig. 3.9b)
is accompanied by a decrease in the magnetic field strength [z d ln B/dz < 0,
B(z) < B(0) for z > 0], as is required by the solenoidal condition B = 0
see (3.2) and (3.144). The divergence scale length x1 (or equivalently |z |1 )
is the linear extrapolation distance along a field line over which the density of
magnetic field lines would decrease (increase for x < 0, z > 0) in magnitude
by a factor of two and the field lines diverge (converge) by a factor of e.
We can also develop a Taylor series expansion of the magnetic induction field
B(x) about a given magnetic field line. Here, we define x = b( bx)
as the
small vectorial distance off a given magnetic field line in the x, y plane locally
perpendicular to the field line. The axial distance along the magnetic field line
is parameterized by the length ! along it from an initial reference point. Thus,
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 45
in which all quantities are now evaluated on a particular field line (i.e., at
x = 0), but the functional dependence on ! remains. Compared to the expan-
sion about a point given in (3.143), we see that the curvature () and parallel
gradient (z ) or divergence (z ) terms are missing from the expansion about a
field line because these effects are included via b 0 (!) and B0 (!). Note also
that this field line expansion for B satisfies the solenoidal condition B = 0 as
long as (3.144) is satisfied, and yields the result given in (3.145) for B. Since
charged particles in a plasma usually move much more easily (and hence traverse
much longer distances) along magnetic field lines than perpendicular to them,
the expansion about a field line is usually more useful, at least conceptually, for
plasma physics applications.
As discussed in Sections 3.2, 3.43.6, often in plasma physics there exist
a set of nested magnetic flux surfaces (x) that surround nested bundles of
magnetic field lines. When such surfaces exist, is locally perpendicular to
the magnetic field and it can be used to specify the directions of the unit vectors
in the plane locally perpendicular to the magnetic field:
ex /||,
ey b/|
b|
= b/||. (3.149)
For such cases it is customary to call the curvature component in the direction
perpendicular to the magnetic flux surfaces (i.e., in the direction) the normal
curvature and the curvature component within the magnetic flux surface (i.e.,
in the b direction) the geodesic curvature:
x = /||, normal () curvature,
(3.150)
y = b b/||,
geodesic (b) curvature.
The torsion for this situation where magnetic flux surfaces are assumed to exist
can be written as
)(b)
(b
x = 2
, torsion for
ex . (3.152)
||
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 46
ex we have
Using these relations in (??) along with the fact that for
x
ex ex = (/||) (/||) = 0, we can write the parallel
shear in the magnetic field as
b
b = 0 B J/B 2 = y + 2 x , parallel shear for
ex .
(3.153)
Note that this relation provides a relationship between the parallel current and
the torsion and shear in the magnetic field. It is the parallel current analogy
to the relationship between the curvature vector, ln B and perpendicular
current given in (3.20). Finally, the x and y field line divergence parameters
can be written as
(
x = b ex ) (||1 ) = (b
ex = (b
ex ) ) ln ||, (3.154)
) ln || (b
y = x z = (b ) ln B, divergences with
ex .
(3.155)
These simplified formulas for the situation where the x coordinate is taken to
be in the magnetic flux surface gradient direction are the most commonly used
ones in plasma physics.
PROBLEMS
3.1 The magnetic field strength inside a solenoidal magnet composed of a series of
circular coils can be characterized by a uniform magnetic field B = B0 ez plus
a small ripple field whose magnitude on axis is given by B = B sin(2z/L) in
which L is the axial distance between the magnets and B << B. Develop a
sinusoidal model of the type given by (3.6) for this situation; that is, specify
all the parameters of the sinusoidal model for this bumpy cylinder magnetic
field. Sketch the behavior of the field lines inside the solenoid using (3.3). /
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 47
3.2 First, show that the magnetic field around a wire carrying a current I in the z
direction is given by B = [0 I/(2r)]e , where r is the radius from the center
of the wire. Next, show that the curvature vector for this magnetic field is
= er /r and hence that the radius of curvature of the magnetic field lines is
r. Finally, show that for the simple magnetic field = B. /
3.3 Show by direct calculation starting from (3.15) that for a vacuum (J = 0)
magnetic field which can be represented by B = M one obtains =
ln B, as follows from (3.20) for this situation. //
3.4 Integrate the field line equation dx/dz = Bx /Bz for the sheared slab model to
obtain the field line trajectory in the y = constant plane. Why is the result
slightly different from that in (3.14)? /
3.5 Use (3.31) to determine a potential representation for the bumpy cylinder mag-
M (r, z). Check
netic field given in Problem 3.1 in the form of M = M 0 (z) +
your result by calculating |B| for your model and comparing it to the desired
result. //
3.6 Propose a suitable magnetic flux and a vector potential for a cylindrical model
of an infinite, homogeneous magnetic field, and show that they yield the desired
magnetic field. /
3.7 Calculate Clebsch , and % coordinates for the sheared slab model as follows.
First, write down three independent field line equations for dx/dz, dy/dz, and
dz/d%. Integrate the first two of these equations to obtain
A B
(x) = B0 x + x2 /2LB z 2 /2RC = constant = x = x(z, )
+ z
1 dz " x(z " , )
(x) = y = constant = y = y(z, , ).
LS 0 1 + x(z " , )/LB
Show that the indicated field line equations reduce to (3.14) and (3.24) near the
origin. In which directions do and point? Also, show that
yields the slab model field given in (3.8). Next, integrate the third field line
equation to obtain an expression for % that is correct through first order. Calcu-
late %; in what direction does it point? Finally, calculate B %; explain why
your result is (or is not) physically reasonable. //
3.8 For the sheared slab model, why is the field line equation in (3.14) different from
that implied by constancy of the z in (3.41) or the given in the preceding
problem? /
3.9 Show that the toroidal and poloidal magnetic field components given in (3.44)
give the respective toroidal and poloidal magnetic fluxes. //
3.10 Show that when closed toroidal magnetic flux surfaces exist .the toroidal and
poloidal magnetic
. 3 fluxes can be calculated from 2tor = d3x B and
2pol = d x B in which the volume integrals are taken over a closed
toroidal flux surface. [Hint: A relevant volume for the toroidal surface tor
encloses a torus defined by surfaces that satisfy B = 0, but has a cut at
a = constant plane.] ///
3.11 Obtain the radial curvature R from a definition like (3.13) for an axisymmetric
magnetic mirror. /*
3.12 Develop a magnetic flux representation in the form (R, ) = 0 (R) + (R, Z)
for the bumpy cylinder magnetic field given in Problem 3.1. Check your result
by calculating |B| for your model and comparing it to the desired result. //*
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 48
3.13 Give an approximate equation for the variation of the radius of a field line in
the bumpy cylinder magnetic field given in Problem 3.1 when B << B0 . /*
3.14 Write down the relevant field line equation for a dipole magnetic field. Integrate
this equation to determine r = r() along a magnetic field line in terms of the
radius r0 at the equatorial plane. Substitute your result into (3.60) to obtain
the variation of the magnetic field strength with along field lines. What is the
magnetic mirror ratio to a latitude of 45o ? Finally, show that near the equatorial
plane the magnetic
field strength can be represented by the quadratic well model
with L# = ( 2/3)r0 . //*
3.15 Consider a screw pinch model situation where current only flows parallel to the
magnetic field. Assume the parallel current density is given by J = J# (r)b with
J# (r) 0 for 0 r a. What are the axial and poloidal current densities
for such a situation? Develop an expression for the toroidal magnetic field
strength from (3.69) for such a situation. Show that the poloidal current effect
on Bz in the large aspect ratio tokamak limit where */q 0.1 << 1 is of
order (*/q)2 102 << 1. Does the flowing current produce a diamagnetic or
paramagnetic effect in the region where the current J# is flowing? that is,
does it decrease or increase Bz inside the plasma? Finally, give an expression
for the radial variation of the total magnetic field strength for such a case. //*
3.16 Show for the screw pinch model of a large aspect ratio tokamak with Bz (r) ' B0
which has a well-behaved current density profile near the magnetic axis (i.e.,
dJz /dr = 0 at r = 0 so that Jz ' J0 + r2 J0"" /2), that q increases with radius and
can be approximated by q(r) = q(0)/(1 r2 /rJ2 ) near the magnetic axis. What
is the sign of J0"" for a profile peaked at r = 0? Determine expressions for q(0)
and rJ in terms of J0 and J0"" . ///*
3.17 The value of q usually decreases with radius away from the magnetic axis in a
reversed field pinch. Use the combination of the two preceding models to obtain
the necessary conditions on the current profile for this to occur. ///*
3.18 Consider a box axial current proflile given by Jz (r) = J0 H(r0 r) in which
H(x) is the Heaviside step function defined in (??). Calculate and sketch the
q(r) profile for this current profile in a screw pinch model of a tokamak for
0 r a 2 r0 . Why does q increase as r2 outside the current-carrying region
(i.e., for r0 r)? /*
3.19 Determine the forms of the magnetic field curvature vector , torsion vector
and local shear for the screw pinch model in terms of the magnetic field
components using b B/B = (Bz ez + B
e )/B in the appropriate definitions
of these properties of a magnetic field. Show that the results can be written as
% & % &
B2 B Bz Bz d B B d rBz
= 2 er , =
e r , = .
rB rB 2 B dr B rB dr B
Also, show that these results reduce to the forms given in (3.84), (3.81) and
(3.85), respectively. //*
3.20 In a reversed field pinch (RFP) the value of q(r) vanishes at the reversal surface
rrev )= 0 and it might seem from (3.86) and (3.87) that the magnetic shear is
undefined there. For the screw pinch model show that the magnetic shear can
be written as % &
1 r/R0 dq
shear = = .
LS q 2 + r2 /R02 dr
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 49
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CHAPTER 3. STRUCTURE OF MAGNETIC FIELDS 50
3.29 Work out the general expression for the torsion for an axisymmetric toroidal
configuration given in (3.118). [Hint: First show that for the axisymmetric
toroidal magnetic field the normal torsion can be written in the form N =
(I/B 2 ||2 ) [() ()] using the first form of (b )
from the preceding problem, and (??). Next, show using (??) and (??) that
N = (I/B 2 R2 ) ( ey ) = (I/B 2 R2 ) (
ey ey ey
ey ) in which
/|| = (qR||/I)[ ()( )/||2 ]. Finally,
work out the last form of N using (??), (??) and (??).] ///*
3.30 Show that the large aspect ratio tokamak expansion of the general expression
for local torsion yields the result indicated after the ' in (3.118). //*
3.31 Work out the general expression for the magnetic shear in an axisymmetric
toroidal configuration given in (3.119). [Hint: Use the form of B in (3.100) and
work out B to a form with terms proportional to (q), and .
Next, obtain (B) using (??) and (??). Finally, work out the last form
of (3.25) using the vector identity (??) to rearrange terms and =
B = (B ) /.] ///*
3.32 Show that the large aspect ratio tokamak expansion of the general expression
for local shear yields the result indicated after the ' in (3.119). //*
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 1
Chapter 5
Plasma Descriptions I:
Kinetic, Two-Fluid
Here, the subscript s indicates the charged particle species (s = e, i for electrons,
ions), ns is the density (#/m3 ) of species s, qs the charge (Coulombs) on the
species s particles, and Vs the species flow velocity (m/s). For situations where
the currents in the plasma are small (e.g., for low plasma pressure) and the
magnetic field, if present, is static, an electrostatic model (E = , E =
q /#0 = 2 = q /#0 ) is often appropriate; then, only the charge density
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 2
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 3
that is based on and encompasses the motions of all the individual charged par-
ticles in the plasma. Then, since we are usually interested in average rather than
individual particle properties in plasmas, we will take an appropriate average
to obtain a general plasma kinetic equation. Here, we only indicate an out-
line of the derivation of the plasma kinetic equation and some of its important
properties; more complete, formal derivations and discussions are presented in
Chapter 13.
The microsopic description of a plasma will be developed by adding up the
behavior and effects of all the individual particles in a plasma. We can consider
charged particles in a plasma to be point particles because quantum mechan-
ical effects are mostly negligible in plasmas. Hence, the spatial distribution of
a single particle moving along a trajectory x(t) can be represented by the delta
function [x x(t)] = [x x(t)] [y y(t)] [z z(t)] see B.2 for a discus-
sion of the spikey (Dirac) delta functions and their properties. Similarly, the
particles velocity space distribution while moving along the trajectory v(t) is
[vv(t)]. Here, x, v are Eulerian (fixed) coordinates of a six-dimensional phase
space (x, y, z, vx , vy , vz ), whereas x(t), v(t) are the Lagrangian coordinates that
move with the particle.
Adding up the products of these spatial and velocity-space delta function
distributions for each of the i = 1 to N (typically 1016 1024 ) charged particles
of a given species in a plasma yields the spikey microscopic (superscript m)
distribution for that species of particles in a plasma:
N
!
f (x, v, t) =
m
[x xi (t)] [v vi (t)], microscopic distribution function.
i=1
(5.2)
The units of a distribution function are the reciprocal of the volume in the six-
dimensional phase space x, v or # /(m6 s3 ) recall that the units of a delta
function are one over the units of its argument (see B.2). Thus, d3x d3v f is
the number of particles in the six-dimensional phase space differential volume
between x, v and x+dx, v +dv. The distribution function in (5.2) is normalized
such that its integral over velocity space yields the particle density:
" N
!
n (x, t)
m
d v f (x, v, t) =
3 m
[x xi (t)], particle density (#/m3 ).
i=1
(5.3)
Like the distribution f m , this microscopic density distribution is very singular
or spikey it is infinite at the instantaneous particle positions x = xi (t) and
zero elsewhere. Integrating the density over the volume V of # the plasma yields
the total number of this species of particles in the plasma: V d3x n(x, t) = N .
Particle trajectories xi (t), vi (t) for each of the particles are obtained from
their equations of motion in the microscopic electric and magnetic fields Em , Bm :
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 4
(The portion of the Em , Bm fields produced by the ith particle is of course omit-
ted from the force on the ith particle.) In Eqs. (5.2)(5.4), we have suppressed
the species index s (s = e, i for electrons, ions) on the distribution function f m ,
the particle mass m and the particle charge q; it will be reinserted when needed,
particularly when summing over species.
The microscopic electric and magnetic fields Em , Bm are obtained from the
free space Maxwell equations:
Em = m
q /#0 , E = B /t,
m m
(5.5)
Bm = 0, Bm = 0 (Jm + #0 Em /t).
The required microscopic charge and current sources are obtained by integrating
the distribution function over velocity space and summing over species:
! " ! N
!
q (x, t)
m qs d3v fsm (x, v, t) = qs [x xi (t)],
s s i=1
" (5.6)
! ! N
!
J (x, t)
m
qs d v vfsm (x, v, t)
3
= qs vi (t) [x xi (t)].
s s i=1
Equations (5.2)(5.6) together with initial conditions for all the N particles
provide a complete and exact microscopic description of a plasma. That is,
they describe the exact motion of all the charged particles in a plasma, their
consequent charge and current densities, the electric and magnetic fields they
generate, and the effects of these microscopic fields on the particle motion all
of which must be calculated simultaneously and self-consistently. In principle,
one can just integrate the N particle equations of motion (5.4) over time and
obtain a complete description of the evolving plasma. However, since typical
plasmas have 1016 1024 particles, this procedure involves far too many equa-
tions to ever be carried out in practice1 see Problem 5.1. Also, since this
description yields the detailed motion of all the particles in the plasma, it yields
far more detailed information than we need for practical purposes (or could
cope with). Thus, we need to develop an averaging scheme to reduce this mi-
croscopic description to a tractable set of equations whose solutions we can use
to obtain physically measurable, average properties (e.g., density, temperature)
of a plasma.
To develop an averaging procedure, it would be convenient to have a single
evolution equation for the entire microscopic distribution f m rather than having
1 However, particle-pushing computer codes carry out this procedure for up to millions
of scaled macro particles. The challenge for such codes is to have enough particles in each
relevant phase space coordinate so that the noise level in the simulation is small enough
to not mask the essential physics of the process being studied. High fidelity simulations
are often possible for reduced dimensionality applications. Some relevant references for this
fundamental computational approach are: J.M. Dawson, Rev. Mod. Phys. 55, 403 (1983);
C.K. Birdsall and A.B. Langdon, Plasma Physics Via Computer Simulation (McGraw-Hill,
New York, 1985); R.W. Hockney and J.W. Eastwood, Computer Simulation Using Particles
(IOP Publishing, Bristol, 1988).
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 5
(M.I.T. Press, Cambridge, MA, 1967); T.H. Dupree, Phys. Fluids 6, 1714 (1963).
DRAFT 11:54
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 6
From this form it is clear that the units of the average distribution function are
the number of particles per unit volume in the six-dimensional phase space, i.e.,
#/(m6 s3 ). In the next section we will identify the average distribution )f m *
as the fundamental plasma distribution function f .
The deviation of the complete microscopic distribution f m from its average,
which by definition must have zero average, will be written as f m :
number of similar plasmas (realizations) that have the same number of particles and macro-
scopic parameters (e.g., density n, temperature T ) but whose particle positions vary randomly
(in the six-dimensional phase space) from one realization to the next.
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 7
scales that are large compared to the mean interparticle spacing. Finally, the
discrete particle distribution function f m is spikey as well, but has a baseline
of )f m (x)*, so that its average vanishes.
In addition to splitting the distribution function into its smoothed and dis-
crete particle contributions, we need to split the electric and magnetic fields,
and charge and current densities into their smoothed and discrete particle parts
components:
Em = )Em * + Em , Bm = )Bm * + Bm ,
(5.11)
m
q = )m
q * + q ,
m
Jm = )Jm * + Jm .
Substituting these forms into the Klimontovich equation (5.8) and averaging
the resultant equation using the averaging definition in (5.9), we obtain our
fundamental plasma kinetic equation:
)f m * )f m * q )f m *
+v + [)Em * + v)Bm *] =
t x m & v '
q f m
[Em + vBm ] . (5.12)
m v
The terms on the left describe the evolution of the smoothed, average distribu-
tion function in response to the smoothed, average electric and magnetic fields
in the plasma. The term on the right represents the two-particle correlations
between discrete charged particles within about a Debye length of each other. In
fact, as can be anticipated from physical considerations and as will be shown in
detail in Chapter 13, the term on the right represents the small Coulomb col-
lision effects on the average distribution function )f m *, whose basic effects were
calculated in Chapter 2. Similarly averaging the microscopic Maxwell equa-
tions (5.5) and charge and current density sources in (5.6), we obtain smoothed,
average equations that have no extra correlation terms like the right side of
(5.12).
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 8
tion, thereby implicity indicating that the appropriate collision operator is the Boltzmann
collision operator in (??). However, the Coulomb collision operator is a special case (small
momentum transfer limit see Chapter 11) of the Boltzmann collision operator CB , and
importantly involves the cumulative effects (the ln factor) of multiple small-angle, elastic
Coulomb collsions within a Debye sphere that lead to diffusion in velocity-space. Also, the
Boltzmann equation usually does not include the electric and magnetic field effects on the
charged particle trajectories during collisions or on the evolution of the distribution function.
Thus, this author thinks it is not appropriate to call this the Boltzmann equation.
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 9
! "
q
= ,
2
q = qs d3vf (x, v, t), (5.17)
#0 s
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 10
Thus, after averaging the plasma kinetic equation over the gyromotion angle ,
the plasma kinetic equation for the gyro-averaged, guiding-center distribution
function fg can be written in terms of the guiding center coordinates (to lowest
order neglecting vD# ) as
fg fg + vD fg + dg fg
+ v# b = )C(fg )* , fg = f (xg , g , , t),
t dt g
drift-kinetic equation, (5.20)
in which the collision operator is averaged over gyrophase [see discussion before
(??)] and the spatial gradient is taken at constant g , , t, i.e., /x |g ,,t .
This lowest order drift-kinetic equation is sufficient for most applications. How-
ever, like the guiding center orbits it is based on, it is incorrect at second order
in the small gyroradius expansion [for example, it cannot be put in the conserva-
tive form of (5.18) or (??)]. More general and accurate gyrokinetic equations
that include finite gyroradius effects (( 1) have also been derived; they
are used when more precise and complete equations are needed.
For many plasma processes we will be interested in short time scales during
which Coulomb collision effects are negligible. For these situations the plasma
kinetic equation becomes
df f f q f
= +v + [E + vB] = 0,
dt t x m v
Vlasov equation. (5.21)
This equation, which is also called the collisionless plasma kinetic equation,
was originally derived by Vlasov5 by neglecting the particle discreteness effects
that give rise to the Coulomb collisional effects see Problem 5.2. Because
the Vlasov equation has no discrete particle correlation (Coulomb collision)
effects in it, it is completely reversible (in time) and its solutions follow the
collisionless single particle orbits in the six-dimensional phase space. Thus, its
distribution function solutions are entropy conserving (there is no irreversible
relaxation of irregularities in the distribution function), and, like the particle
orbits, incompresssible in the six-dimensional phase space see Section 13.1.
The nominal condition for the neglect of collisional effects is that the fre-
quency of the relevant physical process(es) be much larger than the collision
frequency: d/dt i >> , in which is the Lorentz collision frequency
(??). Here, the frequency represents whichever of the various fundamen-
tal frequencies (e.g., p , plasma; kcS , ion acoustic; c , gyrofrequency; b ,
bounce; D , drift) are relevant for a particular plasma application. However,
since the Coulomb collision process is diffusive in velocity space (see Section
2.1 and Chapter 11), for processes localized to a small region of velocity space
v /v << 1, the effective collision frequency (for scattering out of this
narrow region of velocity space) is eff /2 >> . For this situation the
relevant condition for validity of the Vlasov equation becomes >> eff . Often,
5 A.A. Vlasov, J. Phys. (U.S.S.R.) 9, 25 (1945).
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 11
the Vlasov equation applies over most of velocity space, but collisions must be
taken into account to resolve singular regions where velocity-space derivatives
of the collisionless distribution function are large.
Finally, we briefly consider equilibrium solutions of the plasma kinetic and
Vlasov equations. When the collision operator is dominant in the plasma ki-
netic equation (i.e., >> ), the lowest order distribution is the Maxwellian
distribution [see Chapter 11 and (??)]:
. m /3/2 ( ) 2 2
m|vr |2 nevr /vT
fM (x, v, t) = n exp = 3/2 3 , vr v V,
2T 2T vT
Maxwellian distribution function. (5.22)
0
Here, vT 2T /m is the thermal velocity, which is the most probable speed
[see (??)] in the Maxwellian distribution. Also, n(x, t) is the density (units of
#/m3 ), T (x, t) is the temperature (J or eV) and V(x, t) the macroscopic flow
velocity (m/s) of the species of charged particles being considered. Note that
the vr in (5.22) represents the velocity of a particular particle in the Maxwellian
distribution relative to the #average macroscopic flow velocity of the entire dis-
tribution of particles: V d3v vfM /n. It can be shown (see Chapter 13) that
the collisionally relaxed Maxwellian distribution has no free energy in velocity
space to drive (kinetic) instabilities (collective fluctuations whose magnitude
grows monotonically in time) in a plasma; however, its spatial gradients (e.g.,
n and T ) provide spatial free energy sources that can drive fluidlike (as
opposed to kinetic) instabilities see Chapters 2123.
If collisions are negligible for the processes being considered (i.e., >> eff ),
the Vlasov equation is applicable. When there exist constants of the single
particle motion ci (e.g., energy c1 = , magnetic moment c2 = , etc. which
satisfy dci /dt = 0), solutions of the Vlasov equation can be written in terms of
them:
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 12
Note that the Maxwellian distribution in (5.22) satisfies these conditions if there
are no spatial gradients in the plasma density, temperature or flow velocity.
However, confined plasmas must have additional dependencies on spatial co-
ordinates6 or constants of the motion so they can be concentrated in regions
within and away from the plasma boundaries. Thus, most plasmas of inter-
est do not satisfy (5.24). The stability of such plasmas has to be investigated
mostly on a case-by-case basis. When instabilities occur they usually provide
the dominant mechanisms for relaxing plasmas toward a stable (but unconfined
plasma) distribution function of the type given in (5.24).
of plasma particles but the oppositely charged species would be repelled from the confining
region and thus the plasma would not be quasineutral. However, nonneutral plasmas can be
confined by a potential .
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 13
"
1 mvr2 mvT2
temperature (J, eV) : T f=
d3v , (5.27)
n 3 2
" ( )
mvr2
conductive heat flux (W/m2 ) : q d3v vr f, (5.28)
2
"
mvr2
pressure (N/m2 ) : p d3v f = nT, (5.29)
3
"
pressure tensor (N/m2 ) : P d3v mvr vr f = pI + , (5.30)
" ( )
v2
stress tensor (N/m2 ) : d3v m vr vr r I f, (5.31)
3
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 14
"
frictional force density (N/m ) :
3
R d3v mv C(f ), (5.34)
"
mvr2
energy exchange density (W/m3 ) : Q d3v C(f ). (5.35)
2
As indicated in the first of these moments, since Coulomb collisions do not
create or destroy charged particles, the density moment of the collision op-
erator vanishes. The momentum moment of the Coulomb collision operator
represents the (collisional friction) momentum gain or loss per unit volume
from a species of charged particles that is flowing relative to another species:
Re + me ne e (Ve Vi ) = ne eJ/ and Ri = Re from (??) and (??). Here,
rigorously speaking, the electrical conductivity is the Spitzer value (??). (The
approximate equality here means that we are neglecting the typically small ef-
fects due to temperature gradients that are needed for a complete, precise theory
see Section 12.2.) The energy moment of the collision operator represents the
rate of Coulomb collisional energy exchange per unit volume between two species
of charged particles of different temperatures: Qi = 3(me /mi )e ne (Te Ti ) and
Qe + J 2 / Qi from (??) and (??). In a magnetized plasma, the electrical
conductivity along the magnetic field is the Spitzer value [# = Sp from (??)],
but perpendicular to the magnetic field it is the reference conductivity [ = 0
from (??)] (because the gyromotion induced by the B field impedes the perpen-
dicular motion and hence prevents the distortion of the distribution away from
a flow-shifted Maxwellian see discussion near the end of Section 2.2 and in
Section 12.2). Thus, in a magnetized plasma Re = ne e(bJ # /# + J / ) and
Qe = J#2 /# + J 2
/ Qi .
As in the kinetic theory of gases, fluid moment equations are derived by
taking velocity-space moments of a relevant kinetic equation, for which it is
simplest to use the conservative form (5.18) of the plasma kinetic equation:
" $ %
f q
d3v g(v) + vf + (E + vB)f C(f ) = 0 (5.36)
t x v m
in which g(v) is the relevant velocity function for the desired fluid moment.
We begin by obtaining the density moment by evaluating (5.36) using g = 1.
Since the Eulerian velocity space coordinate v is stationary and hence is inde-
pendent of time, the time derivative can be interchanged with the integral
# over
velocity space. (Mathematically, the partial time derivative and d3v opera-
tors commute, i.e.,
# their order can be interchanged.) # Thus, the first integral
becomes (/t) d3v f = n/t. Similarly, since the d3v and spatial deriva-
tive /x operators commute, they# can be interchanged in the second term in
(5.36) which then becomes /x d3v vf = /x nV nV. Since the
integrand in the third term in (5.36) is in the form of a divergence in velocity
space, its #integral can be converted
# into a surface integral using Gauss theo-
rem (??): d3v /v (dv/dt)f = dSv (dv/dt)f = 0, which vanishes because
there must be exponentially few particles on the bounding velocity space sur-
face |v| so that all algebraic moments of the distribution function are
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 15
finite and hence exist. Finally, as indicated in (5.33) the density moment of the
Coulomb collision operator vanishes.
Thus, the density moment of the plasma kinetic equation yields the density
continuity or what is called simply the density equation:
n n dn
+ nV = 0 = = V n n V = = n V.
t t dt
(5.37)
Here, in obtaining the second form we used the vector identity (??) and the last
form is written in terms of the total time derivative (local partial time derivative
plus that induced by advection7 see Fig. 5.2a below) in a fluid moving with
flow velocity V:
1
d 11
+ V , total time derivative in a moving fluid. (5.38)
dt t 1x
This total time derivative is sometimes called the substantive derivative. From
the middle form of the density equation (5.37) we see that at a fixed (Eulerian)
position, increases (n/t > 0) in the density of a plasma species are caused
by advection of the species at flow velocity V across a density gradient from
a region of higher density into the local one with lower density (V n <
0), or by compression ( V < 0, convergence) of the flow. Conversely, the
local density decreases if the plasma species flows from a lower into a locally
higher density region or if the flow is expanding (diverging). The last form
in (5.37) shows that in a frame of reference moving with the flow velocity V
(Lagrangian description) only compression (expansion) of the flow causes the
density to increase (decrease) see Fig. 5.2b below.
The momentum equation for a plasma species is derived similarly by taking
the momentum moment of the plasma kinetic equation. Using g = mv in
(5.36), calculating the various terms as in the preceding paragraph and using
vv = (vr + V)(vr + V) in evaluating the second term, we find
In obtaining the next to last term we have used vector identity (??) to write
v /v [(dv/dt)f ] = /v [v(dv/dt)f ] (dv/dt)f (v/v), which is equal
to /v [v(dv/dt)f ] (dv/dt)f since v/v I and dv/dt I = dv/dt; the
term containing the divergence in velocity space again vanishes by conversion
to a surface integral, in this case using (??). Next we rewrite (5.38) using (5.37)
to remove the n/t contribution and mnVV = mV( nV) + mnV V
to obtain
dV
mn = nq [E + VB] p + R (5.40)
dt
in which the total time derivative d/dt in the moving fluid is that defined in
(5.38). Equation (5.40) represents the average of Newtons second law (ma = F)
7 Many plasma physics books and articles call this convection. In fluid mechanics advection
means transport of any quantity by the flow velocity V and convection refers only to the heat
flow (5/2)nT V induced by the fluid flow. This book adopts the terminology of fluid mechanics.
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 16
over an entire distribution of particles. Thus, the mn dV/dt term on the left
represents the inertial force per unit volume in this moving (with flow velocity
V) charged particle species. The first two terms on the right give the average
(over the distribution function) force density on the species that results from
the Lorentz force q [E + vB] on the charged particles. The next two terms
represent the force per unit volume on the species that results from the pressure
tensor P = pI + , i.e,, both that due to the isotropic expansive pressure p and
the anisotropic stress . The R term represents the frictional force density on
this species that results from Coulomb collisional relaxation of its flow V toward
the flow velocities of other species of charged particles in the plasma.
Finally, we obtain the energy equation for a plasma species by taking the
energy moment of the plasma kinetic equation. Using g = mv 2 /2 in (5.36) and
proceeding as we did for the momentum moment, we obtain (see Problem 5.??)
( ) $ ( ) %
3 1 5 1
nT + mnV 2
+ q + nT + nmV 2
V+V
t 2 2 2 2
nqV E Q V R = 0. (5.41)
Using the dot product of the momentum equation (5.40) with V to remove
the V 2 /t term in this equation and using the density equation (5.37), this
equation can be simplified to
( )
3 p 5
= q + pV + V p : V + Q,
2 t 2
3 dp 5
or, + p V = q : V + Q (5.42)
2 dt 2
The first form of the energy equation shows that the local (Eulerian) rate of in-
crease of the internal energy per unit volume of the species [(3/2)nT = (3/2)p]
is given by the sum of the net (divergence of the) energy fluxes into the local
volume due to heat conduction (q), heat convection [(5/2)pV (3/2)pV in-
ternal energy carried along with the flow velocity V plus pV from mechanical
work done on or by the species as it moves], advection of the pressure from a
lower pressure region into the local one of higher pressure (V p > 0), and
dissipation due to flow-gradient-induced stress in the species ( : V) and
collisional energy exchange (Q).
The energy equation is often written in the form of an equation for the
time derivative of the temperature. This form is obtained by using the density
equation (5.37) to eliminate the n/t term implicit in p/t in (5.42) to yield
3 dT
n = nT ( V) q : V + Q, (5.43)
2 dt
in which d/dt is the total time derivative for the moving fluid defined in (5.38).
This form of the energy equation shows that the temperature T of a plasma
species increases (in a Lagrangian frame moving with the flow velocity V)
due to a compressive flow ( V < 0), the divergence of the conductive heat
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 17
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 18
The fluid moment equations for a charged plasma species given in (5.37),
(5.40) and (5.43) are similar to the corresponding fluid moment equations ob-
tained from the moments of the kinetic equation for a neutral gas (??)(??).
The key differences are that: 1) the average force density nF on a plasma species
is given by the Lorentz force density n[E+VB] instead the gravitational force
mVG ; and 2) the effects of Coulomb collisions between different species of
charged particles in the plasma lead to frictional force (R) and energy exchange
(Q) additions to the momentum and energy equations. For plasmas there is of
course the additional complication that the densities and flows of the various
species of charged particles in a plasma have to be added according to (5.1)
to yield the charge q and current J density sources for the Maxwell equations
that then must be solved to obtain the E, B fields in the plasma, which then
determine the Lorentz force density on each species of particles in the plasma.
It is important to recognize that while each fluid moment of the kinetic
equation is an exact equation, the fluid moment equations represent a hierarchy
of equations which, without further specification, is not a complete (closed)
set of equations. Consider first the lowest order moment equation, the density
equation (5.37). In principle, we could solve it for the evolution of the density
n in time, if the species flow velocity V is specified. In turn, the flow velocity
is determined from the next order equation, the momentum equation (5.40).
However, to solve this equation for V we need to know the species pressure
(p = nT ) and hence really the temperature T , and the stress tensor . The
temperature is obtained from the isotropic version of the next higher order
moment equation, the energy equation (5.43). However, this equation depends
on the heat flux q.
Thus, the density, momentum and energy equations are not complete be-
cause we have not yet specified the highest order, closure moments in these
equations the heat flux q and the stress tensor . To determine them,
we could imagine taking yet higher order moments of the kinetic equation
[g = v(mvr2 /2) and m(vr vr (vr2 /3)I) in (5.36) ] to obtain evolution equa-
tions for q, . However, these new equations would involve yet higher order
moments (vvv, v 2 vv), most of which do not have simple physical interpreta-
tions and are not easily measured. Will this hierarchy never end?! Physically,
the even higher order moments depend on ever finer scale details of the distribu-
tion function f ; hence, we might hope that they are unimportant or negligible,
particularly taking account of the effects of Coulomb collisions in smoothing
out fine scale features of the distribution function in velocity-space. Also, since
the fluid moment equations we have derived so far provide evolution equations
for the physically most important (and measurable) properties (n, V, T ) of a
plasma species, we would like to somehow close the hierarchy of fluid moment
equations at this level.
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 19
m (x)2
q m T = nT, , Fourier heat flux, (5.48)
n 2t
in which x is the random spatial step taken by particles in a time t. For
Coulomb collisional processes in an unmagnetized plasma, x (collision
length) and t 1/ (collision time); hence, the scaling of the heat diffusivity is
2 = vT2 / T 5/2 /n. [The factor of 2 in the diffusion coefficient is usually
omitted in these scaling relations because the correct numerical coefficients
(headache factors) must be obtained from a kinetic theory.] In a magnetized
plasma this collisional process still happens freely along a magnetic field (as
long as # << 1), but perpendicular to the magnetic field the gyromotion
limits the perpendicular step size x to the gyroradius (. Thus, in a collisional,
8 Chapman and Cowling, The Mathematical Theory of Non-Uniform Gases (1952).
9 S.I.
Braginskii, Transport Processes in a Plasma, in Reviews of Plasma Physics, M.A.
Leontovich, Ed. (Consultants Bureau, New York, 1965), Vol. 1, p. 205.
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 20
and = b
Here, as usual, # b # = b( b)
B/B.
with b
The ratio of the perpendicular to parallel heat diffusion is
which is by definition very small for a magnetized plasma see (??). Thus, in
a magnetized plasma collisional heat diffusion is much smaller across magnetic
field lines than along them, for both electrons and ions. This is of course the
basis of magnetic confinement of plasmas.
Next we compare the relative heat diffusivities of electrons and ions. From
formulas developed in Chapters 2 and 4 we find that for electrons and ions
with approximately the same temperatures, the electron collision frequency is
> 43 >> 1], the collision lengths are comparable
higher [e /i (mi /me )1/2
> 43 >> 1].
(e i ), and the ion gyroradii are larger [(i /(e (mi /me )1/2
Hence, for comparable electron and ion temperatures we have
( )1/2 ( )1/2
#e mi > e me < 1
#i
me 43 >> 1, i
mi 43 << 1. (5.51)
Thus, along magnetic field lines collisions cause electrons to diffuse their heat
much faster than ions but perpendicular to field lines ion heat diffusion is the
dominant process.
Similarly, the viscous stress tensor caused by the random walk collisional
diffusion process in an unmagnetized plasma in the presence of the gradient in
the species flow velocity V is (see Section 12.2)
m (x)2
2m W, , viscous stress tensor. (5.52)
nm 2t
Here, W is the symmeterized form of the gradient of the species flow velocity:
12 3 1
W V + (V)T I( V), rate of strain tensor, (5.53)
2 3
in which the superscript T indicates the transpose. Like for the heat flux, the
momentum diffusivity coefficient for an unmagnetized, collisional plasma scales
as m /nm 2 . Similarly for a magnetized plasma we have
# = 2m m 2
# W# , # /nm , = 2m m 2
W , /nm ( . (5.54)
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 21
along magnetic field lines is much faster than across them. Because of the mass
factor in the viscosity coefficient m , for comparable electron and ion tempera-
tures the ion viscosity effects are dominant both parallel and perpendicular to
B:
( )1/2 ( )3/2
m
#e me 1 m me
< <
43 << 1, m m 1.3 10 <<<<< 1.
e 5
m
#i mi i i
(5.55)
Now that the scalings of the closure moments have been indicated, we
can use (5.45) to estimate the rate at which entropy increases in a collisional
magnetized plasma. The contribution to the entropy production rate ds/dt
from the divergence of the heat flux can be estimated by ( q)/nT
(# 2# T + 2 T )/T (/T )(2 2# + (2 2 )T . Similarly, the estimated rate
of entropy increase from the viscous heating is ( : V)/nT (m # |# V| +
2
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 22
The last equation of state requires some explanation. Setting ds/dt in (5.58) to
zero and using the density equation (5.37), we find
1 dp 1 dn 1 1 dp
= = V V = . (5.63)
p dt n dt p dt
From the last form we see that for the flow will be incompressible
( V = 0), independent of the pressure evolution in the species. Then, the
density equation becomes dn/dt = n/t + V n = n( V) = 0. Hence,
the density is constant in time on the moving fluid element (Lagrangian picture)
for an incompressible flow; however, the density does change in time in an
Eulerian picture due to the advection (via the V n term) of the fluid into
spatial regions with different densities. Since the pressure (or temperature) is
not determined by the incompressible flow equation of state, it still needs to be
solved for separately in this model.
When one of the regular equations of state [(5.58), (5.60),or (5.61)] is used,
it provides a closure relation relating the pressure p or temperature T to the
density n; hence, it replaces the energy or entropy equation for the species.
When the incompresssible flow equation of state (5.62) is used, it just acts as a
constraint condition on the flow; for this case a relevant energy or entropy equa-
tion must still be solved to obtain the evolution of the pressure p or temperature
T of the species in terms of its density n and other variables.
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 23
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 24
Figure 5.2: The species density n can increase due to: a) advection of a fluid
element by flow velocity V from a higher to a locally lower density region, or
b) compression by the flow velocity V.
dissipation ( : V) and collisional heating (Q) from the other species. Al-
ternatively, when appropriate, the electron or ion temperature can be obtained
from an equation of state: isentropic ( = 5/3), isothermal ( = 1) or cold
species (T + 0).
As written, the two-fluid moment description of a plasma is exact. However,
the equations are incomplete until we specify the collisional moments R and Q,
and the closure moments q and . Neglecting the usually small temperature
gradient effects, the collisional moments are, from Section 2.3:
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 25
0 = nq p. (5.75)
n q
n(x) = n0 eq(x)/T0 , = , isothermal adiabatic response, (5.76)
n0 T0
This is the usual Boltzmann relation: (??), (??) or (??). As indicated in Fig. 5.3,
in an adiabatic response a potential (x) causes the electron (qe = e < 0)
density to peak where the potential is highest and the ion (qi = Zi e > 0)
density to be at its minimum there. Thus, for an adiabatic response a potential
hill confines electrons but repels ions, whereas a potential valley confines ions
but repels electrons. The adiabatic response for a general isentopic equation
of state [(5.58), (5.67) or (5.71)] is somehat different, although the perturbed
response is the same as (5.76) with the temperature changed to T0 see
Problem 5.13. In addition, the density equation [(5.37), (5.64) or (5.68)] shows
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 26
n
V
= n0 V, mn0 = n0 q
p. (5.77)
t t
These equations can be combined into a single density response equation by
taking the partial time derivative of the density equation and substituting in
the perturbed momentum equation to yield
2n
V n0 q 2 1 2
2
= n0 = + p, inertial (fluid) response. (5.78)
t t m m
The potential fluctuation term represents the inertial polarization charge density
derived earlier in (??): 2 pol /t2 = (n0 q 2 /m) E = #0 2 E.
The
p
second term on the right of (5.77) represents the modification of this polarization
response due to the thermal motion (pressure) of the species see Problem 5.15.
Alternatively, if we neglect the polarization response, and use a general equation
/t2 (p0 /n0 )2 n
of state [(5.58), (5.67) or (5.71)], then (5.77) becomes 2 n =
0 which represents a sound wave with a sound wave speed cS (p0 /n0 )1/2
see (??), (??). Note that in the inertial (fluid) limit the perturbed density
response is due to the compressibility of the perturbed flow ( V 0= 0).
We next consider plasma transport processes in a collision-dominated limit.
Specifically, we consider the electron momentum equation (5.65) in a limit where
the electric field force is balanced by the frictional force (R) and the pressure
force:
0 = ne eE pe me ne e (Ve Vi ) = ne eE pe + ne eJ/. (5.79)
Here, we have neglected the inertia and viscous stress in the collisional limit by
assuming d/dt i << e and e << 1. In a cold electron limit (Te 0)
the last form of this equation becomes
J = E, Ohms law. (5.80)
Neglecting the ion flow Vi and using an isothermal equation of state [ = 1 in
(5.67)], we can obtain the electron particle flux (units of #/m2 s) from the first
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 27
Figure 5.4: Unmagnetized plasma particle flux components due to electron dif-
fusion (De ) and mobility (for E = ).
form in (5.79):
Te e
e ne Ve = De ne + M
e ne E, De , Me ,
me e me e
electron diffusion, mobility particle fluxes. (5.81)
The first term represents the particle flux due to the density gradient which is
in the form of a Ficks law (??) with a diffusion coefficient De Te /me e =
vT2 e /2e = e 2e /2. The contribution to the particle flux induced by the electric
field is known as the mobility flux (superscript M ). The directions of these diffu-
sive and mobility particle flux components for an equilibrium (e + 0) electron
species are shown in Fig. 5.4. Note that the electron collision length e = vT e /e
must be small compared to the gradient scale length (i.e., |e ln ne | << 1) for
this collisional plasma analysis to be valid. In general, the ratio of the dif-
fusion coefficient to the mobility coefficient is known as the Einstein relation:
D/M = T /q De /M e = Te /e. The Einstein relation is valid for many
types of collisional random walk processes besides Coulomb collisions.
Finally, we consider the transport properties embodied in the energy equa-
tion for an unmagnetized plasma. Neglecting flows and temperature equilibra-
tion between species, the energy equation [(5.43), (5.66) or (5.70)] becomes
3 T T 2
n = q, = = 2 T, temperature diffusion. (5.82)
2 t t 3
Here, in the second form we have used the general Fourier heat flux closure re-
lation (5.48) and for simplicity assumed that the species density and diffusivity
are constant in space (n = 0, = 0). In a single dimension this equation
becomes a one-dimensional diffusion equation (??) for the temperature T with
diffusion coefficient D = 2/3 2 . Diffusion equations relax gradients in the
species parameter operated on by the diffusion equation here the tempera-
ture gradient for which LT is the temperature gradient scale length defined by
1/LT (1/T )|dT /dx|. From (??) or (5.82) in the form T / T /L2T we infer
that the transport time scale on which a temperature gradient in a collisional
plasma ( << LT ) will be relaxed is (LT /)2 / >> 1/.
As we have seen, the two-fluid equations can be used to describe responses
in both the adiabatic ( << kvT ) and inertial ( >> kvT ) limits. In between,
where kvT , neither of these limits apply and in general we must use a kinetic
equation to describe the responses. Also, we have illustrated the responses for
a collisional species. When Coulomb collision lengths become of order or longer
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 28
mn
dV# R# + mnV db .
= nqE# # p b (5.83)
dt dt
Here, the parallel (1) subscript indicates the component parallel to the magnetic
E, # p b
field: i.e., E# b p, R# b R = nqJ# /# . The responses
along the magnetic field are mostly just one-dimensional (parallel direction)
forms of the responses we derived for unmagnetized plasmas. However, many
plasmas of practical interest are relatively collisionless along magnetic field
lines (# ln B > 1); for them appropriate parallel stress tensor and heat flux
closure relations must be derived and taken into account, or else a kinetic de-
scription needs to be used for the parallel responses. [See the discussion in the
paragraphs after (??) and (??) in Section 6.1 for an example: the effects of
neoclassical closures for axisymmetric toroidal magnetic systems.]
When the magnetic field is included in the momentum equation [(5.40),
(5.65) or (5.69)], the nqVB term it adds scales (by dividing by mnvT ) to be
of order c ; hence, it is the largest term in the equation for a magnetized plasma
in which c >> , , kvT . Thus, like for the determination of the perpendicular
guiding center drifts in Section 4.4*, the perpendicular flow responses are ob-
tained by taking the cross product of the momentum equation [(5.40), (5.65) or
(5.69)] with the magnetic field B. Adding the resultant perpendicular flows to
the parallel flow, the total flow can be written (see Fig. 5.5)
V = V# + # V + #2 V , with (5.84)
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 29
(B V)B ,
V # = V# b (5.85)
B2
EB Bp
V = VE + V + , (5.86)
B2 nqB 2
Bmn dV/dt RB B
V = Vp + V + V + + . (5.87)
nqB 2 nqB 2 nqB 2
Here, the # indicates the ordering of the various flow components in terms of the
small gyroradius expansion parameter # ( (, )/c << 1 see (??)
and (??). As indicated, the cross (subscript ) flow is first order in the small
gyroradius expansion, while the perpendicular (subscript ) flow is second
order compared to the thermal speed vT of the species. For example,
V Bp T /m p
= ( ln p # << 1. (5.88)
vT nqB 2 vT (qB/m)vT p
For the scaling of the other contributions to V and V , see Problems 5.19 and
5.20.
The first order flow V VE + V is composed of EB and diamagnetic
flows. The very important EB flow is the result of all the particles in a given
species drifting with the same EB drift velocity (??):
EB E= B 1 d
VE = +
ey , EB flow velocity. (5.89)
B2 B2 B0 dx
Here and below, the approximate equality indicates evaluation in the sheared
slab model of Section 3.1 with B + B0 ez and for which plasma parameters (and
the potential ) only vary in the x direction. The diamagnetic flow V is
( )
Bp T 1 dp T (eV)
V + ey =
ey ,
nqB 2 qB0 p dx (q/e)B0 Lp
diamagnetic flow velocity, (5.90)
in which
Lp p/(dp/dx), pressure-gradient scale length, (5.91)
which is typically approximately equal to the plasma radius in a cylindrical
model. (The definition of the pressure gradient scale length has a minus sign
in it because the plasma pressure usually decreases with radius or x for a con-
fined plasma.) The last form in (5.90) gives a formula for numerical evaluation
(in SI units, except for T in eV). The V flow is called the diamagnetic flow
because the current density nqV it produces causes a magnetic field that re-
duces the magnetic field strength in proportion to the species pressure p [see
Problem 5.??], which is a diamagnetic effect. Note that the diamagnetic flows
of electrons and ions are comparable in magnitude and in opposite directions.
Hoewever, the electrical current densities they produce are in the same direc-
ey in slab model) direction cause
tion. These diamagnetic currents in the cross (
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 30
charge buildups and polarization of the plasma, which are very important in
inhomogeneous magnetized plasmas.
Of particular importance is the electron diamagnetic flow obtained from
(5.90) with q = e:
( )
Bpe Te 1 dpe Te (eV)
Ve = + ey =
ey ,
ne eB 2 eB0 pe dx B0 Lpe
electron diamagnetic flow velocity. (5.92)
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 31
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 32
Thus, for a single species of charged particles in a magnetized plasma, the (fluid,
gyromotion picture) cross () current induced by the sum of the EB and dia-
magnetic (V ) flows is equal to the (drift picture) sum of the currents induced
by the guiding center particle drifts and the magnetization induced by the mag-
netic moments of all the particles in the species. Note that no single particle
has a drift velocity that corresponds in any direct way to the diamagnetic flow
velocity V .11 Rather, the diamagnetic flow velocity is a macroscopic flow of an
entire species of particles that is a consequence of the (radially) inhomogeneous
distribution of charged particles in a magnetized plasma. Finally, note that the
net flow of current of a species in or out of an infinitesimal volume does not
involve the magnetization: nq(VE + V ) = nq vD since M = 0.
Thus, the net flow of (divergence of the) currrent can be calculated from either
the fluid or particle picture, whichever is more convenient.
Next, we discuss the components of the second order perpendicular flow
velocity V Vp + V + V defined in (5.87). The polarization flow Vp
represents the effect of the polarization drifts (??) of an entire species of particles
and to lowest order in # is given by:
( )
Bmn dV /dt 1 1 d T 1 dp
Vp = + +
ex ,
nqB 2 c t B0 dx q p dx
polarization flow velocity. (5.100)
Here, for simplicity in the evaluation for the sheared slab model form we have
assumed that the electron and ion temperatures are uniform in space and only
the density varies spatially (in the x direction in the sheared slab model). This
flow velocity is in the form of a Ficks diffusion law (??) particle flux
This is called classical transport because its random walk diffusion process
results from and scales with the (electron) gyroradius: x (e . The scaling
11 Many plasma physics books and articles call V the diamagnetic drift velocity. This
nomenclature is very unfortunate since no particles drift with this velocity. Throughout
this book we will call V the diamagnetic flow velocity to avoid confusion about its origin.
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 33
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 34
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 35
electron response (5.78). The shortest length scale plasma process is Debye
shielding (Section 1.1), which is produced by an adiabatic response (5.76).
Cold plasma waves (electon plasma and ion acoustic waves) are modeled by
the two-fluid equations by neglecting collisional effects and considering thermal
effects to be small and representable by fluid moments. These natural oscilla-
tions result from the dielectric medium responses of the plasma see Chapters
1 and 7. The corresponding hot plasma (kinetic) waves and dielectric functions,
which include wave-particle interaction effects, are modeled with the Vlasov
equation (5.21) and discussed in Chapter 8. Consequences of this kinetic model
of an unmagnetized plasma include the phenomena of collisionless Landau
damping (Section 8.2) of waves and velocity-space instabilities (Chapter 19).
The use of the Vlasov equation is justified because the natural growth or damp-
ing rates [Im{}] for these phenomena are larger than the effective collision
frequency. However, velocity-space diffusion due to collisions is required for ir-
reversibility of the wave-particle interactions involved in Landau damping (see
Section 10.2) and to produce a steady state saturation or bounded cyclic be-
havior during the nonlinear (NL) evolution of velocity-space instabilities (see
Sections 10.3, 24.1, 25.1).
On longer time scales ( < eff ), Coulomb collisions become important and
are modeled using the plasma kinetic equation (5.13). Finally, on transport
time scales (L/)2 / (see Section A.5) long compared to the collision time
1/ and length scales L long compared to the collision length = vT /, the
electron and ion species can be described by the two-fluid equations (5.64)
(5.71). Plasma radiation (caused by particle acceleration via Coulomb collisions
or from atomic line radiation see Chapter 14) can also beome relevant on the
plasma transport time scale. Modeling of plasma particle and energy transport
in collisional plasmas is discussed in Section 17.1.
A similar table and discussion of the relevant phenomena and plasma de-
scriptions on various time and length scales for magnetized plasmas is deferred
to Section 6.8 in the following chapter after we have discussed the important
fast time scale physical effects in a MHD description of a plasma, and in par-
ticular Alfv`en waves.
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 36
PROBLEMS
5.1 In the year 2000, single computer processor units (CPUs) were capable of about
109 floating point operations per second (FLOPs). Assume a particle push-
ing code needs about 100 FLOPs to advance a single particle a plasma period
(1/pe ) and that the CPU time scales linearly with the number of particles. How
long would a year 2000 CPU have to run to simulate 0.03 m3 of plasma with
a density of ne = 3 1018 m3 for 103 seconds by advancing all the particles
in a plasma? Taking account of Moores (empirical) law which says that CPU
speeds double every 18 months, how long will it be before such a simulation can
be performed in a reasonable time say one day on a single CPU? Do you
expect such plasma simulations to be possible in your lifetime? /
5.2 Consider a continuum (mush) limit of the plasma kinetic equation. In this
limit charged particles in a plasma are split in two and distributed randomly
while keeping the charge density, mass density and species pressure constant.
Then, the particles are split in two again, and the splitting process repeated an
infinite number of times. What are the charge, mass, density and temperature
of particles in one such split generation relative to the previous one? Show that
in this limiting process the plasma frequency and Debye length are unchanged
but that the term on the right of the averaged Klimontovich equation (5.12)
becomes negligibly small compared to the terms on the left. Use these results to
discuss the role of particle discreteness versus continuum effects in the Vlasov
equation and the plasma kinetic equation. //
5.3 Show that for a Lorentz collision model the right side of the averaged Klimon-
tovich equation (5.12) becomes the Lorentz collision operator:
"v v# f
CL (f ) =
v 2t v
in which "vv#/t is given by (??). [Hint: First subtract the averaged
Klimontovich equation (5.12) from the full Klimontovich equation (5.8) and show
that df m
# /dt = (q/m) m
# E# f#/v. Then, for an ensemble average
# t defined by
"g# = ni d x g = ni v dt b db d g show that (q/m)2 "Em dt$ Em # =
3
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 37
5.6 Write down a one-dimensional Vlasov equation governing the distribution func-
tion along a magnetic field line neglecting particle drifts. What are the constants
of the motion for this situation? What is the form of the general solution of this
Vlasov equation? Discuss what dependences of the distribution function on the
constants of the motion are needed to represent electrostatic and magnetic field
confinement of the charged particles in a plasma along B. //
5.7 Show the integration and other steps needed to obtain the energy equation
(5.41). [Hint: For the velocity derivative term derive and use the vector identity
mv 2 mv 2
A(v) = A(v) mv A(v).]
2 v v 2
Also, use the origin of the energy flux (5/2)nT V to show that it represents a
combination of the convection of the internal energy and mechanical work done
on or by the species moving with a flow velocity V. //*
5.8 Show the steps in going from the first energy equation (5.41) to the second
(5.42). [Hint: Use vector identities (??) and (??).] //*
5.9 Parallel electron heat conduction often limits the electron temperature that can
be obtained in a collisional magnetized plasma that comes into contact with
the axial end walls. a) Develop a formula for estimating the equilibrium central
electron temperature Te (0) produced by a power source supplying QS watts per
unit volume in a plasma of length 2L that loses energy to the end walls primarily
by parallel electron heat conduction. For simplicity, neglect the variation of the
parallel heat conduction with distance & along a magnetic field line and assume
a sinusoidal electron temperature distribution along a magnetic field line given
by Te (&) = Te (0) cos(&/2L). b) How does Te (0) scale with QS ? c) For a plasma
with singly-charged ions and ne = 1012 cm3 in a chamber with an axial length
of 1 m, what Te (0) can be produced by a power source that supplies 0.1 W/cm3
to the plasma electrons? d) How large would QS need to be achieve a Te (0) of
25 eV? //*
5.10 The irreducible minimum level of perpendicular heat transport is set by classical
plasma transport. Consider an infinitely long cylinder of magnetized plasma.
Estimate the minimum radius of a 50% deuterium, 50% tritium fusion plasma
at Te = Ti = 10 keV, ne = 1020 m3 in a 5 T magnetic field that is required to
obtain a plasma energy confinement time of 1 s. //*
5.11 Write down one- and two-dimensional Maxwellian distribution functions. Use
the entropy definition in (5.44) to obtain entropy functionals for these two dis-
tributions. Show that the entropy functions are as indicated in (5.58). //*
5.12 First, show that in N dimensions the energy equation (5.42) can be written, in
the absence of dissipative effects, as
. /
N p N +2
= pV + V p.
2 t 2
Then, show that in combination with the density equation (5.37) this equation
can be rearranged to yield the isentropic equation of state in (5.58). //*
5.13 Derive the adiabatic response for an isentropic equation of state. Show that the
perturbed adiabatic response is n
/n0 & q /T 0 in which T0 p0 /n0 . //
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 38
5.14 Use the ion fluid equations (5.68)(5.71) to derive the ion energy conservation
relation (??) that was used in the analysis of a plasma sheath in Section 1.2.
Discuss the various approximations needed to obtain this result. //
5.15 Use the inertial electron fluid response (5.78) with a general isentropic equation
of state to obtain the thermal speed corrections to the electron plasma wave
dielectric )I (??). Set the dielectric function to zero and show that the normal
modes of oscillation satisfy the dispersion relation
2 = pe
2
+ (/2) k2 vT2 e . //
5.16 Use the two-fluid equations (5.64)(5.71) to obtain the ion sound wave equation
(??). Also, use the two-fluid equations and an isothermal equation of state for
the ions to obtain the ion thermal corrections to the ion acoustic wave dispersion
relation (??). //
5.17 Show how to use the electron fluid equations to derive the electromagnetic skin
depth defined in (??). /
5.18 Consider a collisional unmagnetized plasma where the electron density distribu-
tion ne (x) is determined by some external means, for example by a combination
of wave heating and ionization of neutrals. Use the equilibrium Ohms law (elec-
tron momentum equation) in (5.79) to determine the potential distribution (x)
(for E = ) required to obtain no net current flowing in the plasma. For
simplicity assume isothermal electrons. Then, use this potential to show that
the equilibrium distribution of isothermal ions of charge Zi in this plasma is
What is the role of the potential (x) here? Explain why the ion density is
smallest where the electron density is the largest in this plasma situation. //
5.19 Show that for q T the EB flow is order ) relative to the thermal speed of
the species in the small gyroradius expansion. /
5.20 Show that all the terms in the V defined in (5.87) are of order )2 (or smaller)
relative to the thermal speed of the species in the small gyroradius expansion.
[Hint: Use the first order EB and diamagnetic cross flows to estimate the
various contributions to V .] //
5.21 Suppose a drift-wave has a real frequency of 0.5 i in the EB rest frame and
that ni qi = 2 pi , ky = 0.1 cm1 and d/dx = 100 V/cm with a mag-
netic field of 2.5 T. What is the frequency (in rad/s and Hz) of the wave in the
laboratory frame? Does the wave propagate in the electron or ion diamagnetic
flow direction in the laboratory frame? /
5.22 Calculate the diamagnetic flow velocity in a uniform magnetic field from a sim-
ple kinetic model as follows. First, note that since the relevant constants of the
motion are the guiding center position xg = x + vy /c from (??) and energy
g , an appropriate solution of the Vlasov equation is f = f (xg , g ). Assume
a Maxwellian energy distribution and expand this distribution in a small gyro-
radius expansion. Show that the flow velocity in this expanded distribution is
the diamagnetic flow velocity (5.90). Discuss how this derivation quantifies the
illustration of the diamagnetic flow in Fig. 5.6a. //
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CHAPTER 5. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS I: KINETIC, TWO-FLUID 39
5.23 Consider electron and ion pressure profiles peaked about x = 0 in a sheared slab
magnetic field model with no curvature or shear. a) Sketch the directions of
the diamagnetic flows of the electrons and ions. b) Show that the currents they
induce are in the same direction. c) Show that these currents have a diamagnetic
effect on the magnetic field strength. d) Finally show that for each species the
induced diamagnetic change in the magnetic field energy density is proportional
to the pressure of the species. /
5.24 Consider a plasma species with an anistropic Maxwellian-type distribution that
has different temperatures parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field but
no dependence on the gyrophase angle . a) Show that for this anisotropic
b)
distribution the pressure tensor is P = p (I b + p& b
b.
b) Show that for an
anisotropic species the diamagnetic flow velocity is
B P B[p + (p& p )]
V = .
nqB 2 nqB 2
c) Calculate the velocity-space-average drift current nq vD , magnetization M
and magnetization current JM for an anisotropic species. d) Show that your
results reduce to (5.96)(5.98) for isotropic pressure. e) Finally, show that (5.99)
is also satisfied for a plasma species with an anisotropic pressure. ///
5.25 In the derivation of (5.99) we neglected the guiding center drift due to the
direction of the magnetic field changing in time the b/t contribution.
Show how, when this drift is included in v D , (5.99) must be modified by adding
the part of the polarization flow Vp caused by V& to its left side to remain valid.
(Assume for simplicity that the magnetic field is changing in direction slowly
compared to the gyrofrequency [(1/c )| b/t| << 1] so the small gyroradius
expansion used to derive the guiding center orbits is valid.) //
5.26 Show that classical diffusion is automatically ambipolar for a plasma with mul-
tiple species of ions. [Hint:6Note that because of momentum conservation in
Coulomb collisions Re = i Ri .] //
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 1
Chapter 6
The preceding chapter discussed the microscopic, kinetic and two-fluid decsrip-
tions of a plasma. But we would actually like a simpler model one that would
include most of the macroscopic properties of a plasma in a one-fluid model.
The simplest such model is magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), which is a combi-
nation of a one-fluid (hydrodynamic-type plus Lorentz force effects) model for
the plasma and the Maxwell equations for the electromagnetic fields. The main
equations, properties and applications of the MHD model are developed in this
chapter.
In the first section, we further approximate and combine the two-fluid de-
scription in Section 5.5 to obtain a one-fluid magnetohydrodynamics (MHD)
description of a magnetized plasma. Section 6.2 presents the MHD equations in
various forms and discusses their physical content. Subsequent sections discuss
general properies of the MHD model (force-balance) equilibria (Section 6.3),
boundary and shock conditions (Section 6.4), dynamical responses (Section 6.5),
and the Alfv`en waves (Section 6.6) that result from them. Then, Section 6.7 dis-
cusses magnetic field diffusion in the presence of a nonvanishing plasma electrical
resistivity. Finally, Section 6.8 discusses the relevant time and length scales on
which the kinetic, two-fluid and MHD models of magnetized plasmas are appli-
cable, and hence usable for describing various magnetized plasma phenomena.
This chapter thus presents the final steps in the procedures and approximations
used to progress from the two-fluid plasma model to a macroscopic description,
and discusses the key properties of the resultant MHD plasma model.
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 2
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 3
"
quasineutrality in the plasma means q s ns qs = e(Zi ni ne ) $ 0. Thus,
in the MHD model the charge continuity equation simplifies to J = 0. Note
that this equation is also consistent with the divergence of Amperes law when
the displacement current is neglected see (??). Hence, the charge continuity
equation J = 0 is also consistent with a nonrelativistic MHD description of
particles and waves in a plasma. Since MHD plasmas are quasineutral and have
no net charge density (q = 0), the Gauss law Maxwell equation E = q /(0
cannot be used to determine the electric field in the plasma. Rather, since
a plasma is a highly polarizable medium, in MHD the electric field E is deter-
mined self-consistently from Ohms law, Amperes law and the charge continuity
equation ( J = 0).
A one-fluid momentum equation (equation of motion) for a plasma is ob-
tained by simply adding the electron and ion momentum equations (??) and
(??) (see Problem 6.2 for the structure of the inertia term m dV/dt):
dV
m = q E + JB P , (6.6)
dt
in which $ e + i is the total plasma stress tensor in the center-of-mass
frame defined in (6.5). The electric field term is eliminated in MHD by the
assumption of quasineutrality in the plasma: q $ 0. In a collisional plasma
the viscosity effects of the ions are dominant in the stress tensor [see (??)].
The dissipative effects due to ion viscosity become important on time scales
long compared to the relatively slow ion collision time scale [see (??)]. For low
collisionality plasmas in axisymmetric toroidal magnetic systems these parallel
"i ) represent the viscous drag on the parallel
ion viscosity effects (due to b
(poloidal) ion flow carried by untrapped ions due to their collisions with the
stationary trapped ions, and are included in a model called neoclassical MHD;
there they result in damping of the poloidal ion flow at a rate proportional to
the ion collision frequency i and consequently to an increased perpendicular
inertia and dielectric response for t >> 1/i see Chapter 16. In ideal and
resistive MHD it is customary to neglect the viscous stress effects and thus set
= 0 in (6.6). This assumption is usually valid for time scales shorter than
the ion collision time scale: d/dt i >> i .
Since the magnetic field causes the plasma responses to be very different
along and transverse to the magnetic field direction, it is useful to explore the
responses in different directions separately. Taking the dot product of b B/B
with the plasma momentum equation (6.6) and neglecting q E (quasineutrality
assumption) and the stress tensor , the parallel plasma momentum equation
becomes
dV" db
m = " P m V . (6.7)
dt dt
in which " b = /). The last term is important only when the magnetic
field direction is changing in time or in inhomogeneous plasmas when the flow
velocity V is large. Neglecting this term, (6.7) in combination with the plasma
mass density (continuity) equation leads to compressible flows due to plasma
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 4
pressure perturbations and hence to sound waves along the magnetic field
see (??)(??) in Section A.6 and (6.89) below.
Taking the cross product of B with the momentum equation and using the
bac cab vector identity (??), again neglecting q E and the stress tensor , we
obtain the two perpendicular components of the current:
BP
J , diamagnetic current density, (6.8)
B2
Bm dV/dt
Jp , polarization current density. (6.9)
B2
The diamagnetic current is the sum of the currents produced by the diamag-
netic currents due
" to flows in the various species of charged particles in the
plasma: J = s ns qs Vs . Like the species diamagnetic flows, it is called a
diamagnetic current because it produces a magnetic field that reduces the
magnetic field strength in proportion to the plasma pressure P (see Problem
6.13). The electric field produces no perpendicular current in MHD because
the
" EB flows " of all species are the same; hence, they produce no current:
n q V
s s s Es = ( s ns qs )VE = q VE $ 0.
Like for the individual species diamagnetic flows [see (??) and Fig. ??], the
(fluid picture) diamagnetic current is equal to the (particle picture) current due
to the combination of the particle guiding center drifts and the magnetization
produced by the magnetic moments () of all the charged particles gyrating in
the B field:
J = JD + M, (6.10)
in which the particle drift (D) and the magnetization (M ) currents are
! BP ( ln B + ) P
JD Ds =
ns q s v + b(b b), (6.11)
s
B2 B
!) !
b P
JM M, M d3v s fM s = ps = b. (6.12)
s
B s
B
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 5
The total current in MHD is a combination of the parallel current, and the
diamagnetic and polarization perpendicular currents:
B BP Bm dV/dt
J = J" + J + Jp = J" + + . (6.13)
B B2 B2
0 = J = (B )(J" /B) + J + Jp ,
MHD charge continuity equation, (6.14)
which is a very important equation for analyzing MHD equilibria and instabil-
ities. The derivative of the parallel current has been simplified here using the
vector identity (??) and the Maxwell equation B = 0:
B( ln B + ) 1 b),
J = JD = 2
P + (b P )(b
B B
P )(0 J" /B 2 ).
= J ( ln B + ) + (b (6.16)
Here, we have used vector identities (??) and (??) to evaluate the divergence
of J and Amperes law to write b b = 0 J B/B 2 = 0 J" /B see
discussion after (??). Thus, like for the individual species current contributions,
the net (divergence of the) electrical current flow in or out of an infinitesimal
volume can be computed from either the divergence of the diamagnetic current
(fluid picture) or the divergence of the particle drift current (particle picture).
The important effects of the (mostly radial) pressure gradients in the MHD
model of a magnetized plasma are manifested through the diamagnetic cur-
rent J it induces and, for inhomogeneous magnetic fields, the net charge flows
induced [see (6.16)]. For the MHD charge continuity equation (6.14) to be sat-
isfied, compensating parallel (J" ) or polarization (Jp ) currents must flow in the
plasma. These electrical currents can lead, respectively, to modifications of the
MHD equilibrium (Chapter 20) and pressure-gradient-driven MHD instabilities
(Chapter 21).
Next, we obtain an Ohms law for MHD. A one-fluid generalized Ohms
law is obtained by multiplying the electron and ion momentum equations by
qs /ms and summing them to produce an equation for J/t see Problem 6.4.
However, we proceed more physically and directly from the electron momentum
equation. Using Ve = Vi J/ne e $ V J/ne e and the anisotropic frictional
force R in (??), and dividing the electron momentum equation (??) by ne e,
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 6
Here, we have neglected an ion flow inertia term on the left because it is order
me /mi < 1/1836 smaller than the inertial flow contribution coming from the
Jp B term evaluated using the polarization current (6.9). While the first and
third terms on the right indicate a simple Ohms law E = J/, there are a
number of additional terms. To understand the role and magnitude of these
other contributions to the generalized Ohms law and obtain an MHD Ohms
law, we need to explore separately their contributions along and perpendicular
to the magnetic field direction.
The parallel component (b ) of the generalized Ohms law is:
The electron inertia term on the left is small compared to E" for scale lengths
longer than the electromagnetic skin depth (see Section 1.5): |(c/pe )|
kc/pe << 1 see Problem 6.5. Since c/pe is typically a very short distance
(c/pe $ 103 m = 1 mm for ne $ 3 1019 m3 ), this is usually a good approx-
imation in MHD which seeks to provide a plasma description on macroscopic
scale lengths. Also, since 1/" me e /ne e2 , the electron inertia term is of
of order /e compared to the parallel friction force term J" /" . In resistive
MHD it is assumed that << e so the electron inertia can be neglected in the
parallel Ohms law.
The parallel electron pressure gradient term is neglected in MHD because of
a fundamental approximation in MHD that electric field effects are larger than
pressure gradient effects:
Physically, the MHD model describes situations in which collective electric field
effects are more important than the thermal motion (pressure) effects of both
electrons and ions. Mathematically, this approximation is appropriate (both
along and across magnetic field lines see Problem 6.6) when the EB flow
velocity VE is large compared to the diamagnetic flow velocities Ve , Vi and
hence for , E >> e , i .
Finally, we consider the contribution due to the parallel component of the
viscous stress. While this term is negligible compared to J" /" in a colli-
sional plasma [see (??)], it can be important in more collisionless plasmas where
> 1 in which e = vT e /e is the electron collision length. For low colli-
e "
sionality plasmas in axisymmetric toroidal magnetic systems these parallel elec-
tron viscosity effects (from b "e ) represent the viscous drag on the parallel
electron flow carried by untrapped electrons due to their collisions with the
stationary trapped electrons and ions, and they are included in a model called
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 7
neoclassical MHD; there they result in order unity modifications of the parallel
Ohms law (see Chapter 16) reductions in the parallel electrical conductivity
and a so-called bootstrap current parallel to B induced by the radial gradient
of the plasma pressure. In ideal and resistive MHD the parallel electron inertia,
pressure gradient and viscosity effects are all neglected and the parallel Ohms
law becomes simply E" = J" /" .
Next, we consider the perpendicular component of the generalized Ohms
b
law. It is obtained by operating on (6.17) with b( ):
0 = E + VB + J / [ JB pe ( e ) ]/ne e (6.20)
The parallel electrical conductivity " is at most a factor [see (??)] of 1/e
32/3 $ 3.4 greater than the perpendicular conductivity = 0 . Thus, it
is customary in resistive MHD to not distinguish the electrical conductivity
along and transverse to the magnetic field, but instead to just use an isotropic
electrical resistivity defined by 1/0 = me e /ne e2 . Hence, the MHD Ohms
law is usually written as simply E + VB = J.
In MHD the Ohms law is used to write the electric field in terms of the flow
velocity V and current J. Taking the cross product of the Ohms law with the
magnetic field B, we obtain the perpendicular MHD mass flow velocity V :
EB BJ
V = + = VE + V . (6.22)
B2 B2
Thus, the perpendicular MHD mass flow velocity is the sum of the EB flow
velocity (??) and the (ambipolar) classical transport flow velocity (??), which
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 8
In the ideal MHD limit where 0, this equation requires E" = 0, which
for a general E = A/t is satisfied in equilibrium by the equilibrium
potential being constant along the magnetic field, and in perturbations by the
parallel gradient of the potential being balanced by a parallel inductive (vector
potential) component: E " = " A" /t = 0.
Finally, we need a one-fluid energy equation or equation of state to close
the hierarchy of MHD equations. In MHD it is customary to use an isentropic
equation of state (d/dt) ln(P/m ) $ 0. Using P = pe +pe , 3/2 = 1/(1) and
working out the time derivative in terms of the time derivatives of the electron
and ion entropies given in (??), (??), (??) and (??), we obtain
& '
d P 1 dse dsi 1* +
ln = pe + pi $ qe Vi : i + J 2 .
dt m P dt dt P
(6.24)
The last, approximate form indicates the dominant contributions to the overall
plasma entropy production rate. Its last term indicates entropy production by
joule heating; while this rate is usually small [$ e (|J|/ne evT e )2 << e , of order
one over the plasma confinement time], it should be kept in resistive MHD for
consistency with the inclusion of resistivity in the Ohms law. As discussed
after (??), the ion viscous dissipation rate is at most of order the ion collision
frequency i for fluidlike ions; thus, like the ion viscous stress tensor effects
in the plasma momentum equation, it is usually neglected assuming d/dt
i >> i .
Most problematic for an isentropic plasma equation of state is the electron
heat conduction. In a collisional plasma, parallel electron heat conduction leads
to a plasma entropy production rate of order e (e " )2 << e , which is often
smaller than MHD wave frequencies and hence negligible. However, in low
collisionality plasmas where e " > 1, parallel electron heat conduction can
cause entropy production rates of order e or perhaps larger [see disussion after
(??)], which can be of order MHD wave frequencies. On the other hand, if the
electron fluid responds totally collisionlessly, there is no entropy production from
electron heat conduction (or any other collisionless electron process). In MHD
it is customary to neglect the electron heat conduction contributions to entropy
production on the basis that either: 1) d/dt i >> e ; 2) parallel electron
temperature gradients are quite small because of parallel heat conduction and
thus lead to a negligible entropy production rate [ >> e 2e (2" T )/T ]; or 3) the
relevant electron response is totally collisionless and hence leads to no entropy
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 9
Gauss law ( E = q ) does not appear in the list of Maxwell equations because
in the MHD model plasmas are highly polarizable, quasineutral (q $ 0) fluids in
which the electric field is determined self-consistently from Ohms law, Amperes
law and the charge continuity equation J = 0.
The MHD model describes a very wide range of phenomena in small gyrora-
dius, magnetized plasmas macroscopic plasma equilibrium and instabilities,
Alfv`en waves, magnetic field diffusion. It is the fundamental, lowest order model
used in analyzing magnetized plasmas.
The physics content of the MHD plasma description is briefly as follows.
The equation for the mass density (m $ mi ni ) is also called the continuity
equation and can be written in the form m /t = Vm m V. When
written in the latter form, it describes changes in mass density due to advection
(Vm ) and compressibility (V ,= 0) by the mass flow velocity V see
Fig. ??. The charge continuity equation is the quasineutral (q $ 0) form of
the general charge continuity equation q /t + J = 0 that results from
adding equations for the charge densities of the electron and ion species in
the plasma. [While J = 0 also results from taking the divergence of the
nonrelativistic (i.e., without displacement current) Amperes law, it is often
better to think of it as the equation that ensures quasineutrality of the plasma
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 10
Here, the contributions to the MHD system stress tensor are due to the flow
(m VV, Reynolds stress), isotropic pressure (P I) and both isotropic expansion
[(B 2 /20 )I] and tension (BB/0 ) stresses in the magnetic field see (??).
The Reynolds stress is only important in systems with large flow; it is negligible
in MHD systems with strongly subsonic flows (m V 2 /2P V 2 /c2S << 1). The
system energy density is composed of the densities of the kinetic (flow) energy
(m V 2 /2), internal energy (3P/2 for a three-dimensional system with = 5/3)
and the magnetic field energy density (B 2 /20 ). Joule heating (J 2 ) does not
appear in the MHD system energy density equation because energy lost from the
electromagnetic fields by joule heating [see (??)] increases the internal energy in
the plasma [see (6.29)]; thus, the total MHD energy density, which sums these
energies, remains constant. The terms in the MHD energy flux represent the
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 11
flow of kinetic (m V 2 /2) and internal [P/( 1)] energies with the flow velocity
V, mechanical work done on or by the plasma as it moves (P V), and energy
flow by the electromagnetic fields (EB/0 ) [Poynting vector see (??)].
To illutrate the usefulness of these MHD system conservation equations,
consider the system energy equation (6.36). Integrating this equation over the
volume V of an isolated plasma, the divergence term can be converted using
Gauss theorem (??) into a surface integral that vanishes if there is no flow of
plasma or electromagnetic energy across the surface that bounds the volume.
For such an isolated system the integral of the system energy over the volume
must be independent of time:
) & '
m V 2 P B2
3
dx + + Wk + Wp = constant, (6.40)
V 2 1 20
in which
)
m V 2
Wk = d3x , plasma kinetic energy, (6.41)
V 2
) & '
P B2
Wp = 3
dx + , MHD potential energy. (6.42)
V 1 20
Thus, in the MHD model while there can be exchanges of energy between the
plasma kinetic, and internal and magnetic energies, their sum must be constant.
For a plasma motion to grow monotonically (as in a collective instability), in-
creases in plasma kinetic energy due to dynamical motion of the plasma must
be balanced by reductions in the potential (plasma internal plus magnetic field)
energy in the plasma volume. In Chapter 21 the constancy of the total system
energy in MHD will be used as the basis for developing a variational (energy)
principle for plasma instability, which can occur for a plasma perturbation that
reduces the system potential energy Wp .
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 12
Figure 6.1: Schematic illustration of the stresses and force densities on a fluid
element of plasma in the MHD model: a) isotropic expansive pressure stress
TP = P I, b) anisotropic magnetic stresses TB , c) pressure gradient force density
fP = P , and d) magnetic force density fB in the normal ( N curvature)
and binormal (B) directions.
1 B
fB JB = (B)B = b(B b)
0 0
2
B B b(
= b(B b) b)
0 0
& 2' , -
B B2 B2 b
b
= + = I TB , (6.43)
20 0 20 2
in which we have used vector identities (??), (??), (??), (??), (??), (??) and
(??). The corresponding force density fP due to the plasma pressure is
fP P = P I TP . (6.44)
These stresses and force densities are illustrated schematically in Fig. 6.1 and
discussed in the next few paragraphs.
Consider first the stresses. Adopting
ex , B/B as the base vectors for
ey , b
a local magnetic field coordinate system, the sum of the pressure and magnetic
stress tensors can be written (in matrix notation) as
. / P + B 2 /20 0 0
ex
T P + TB ex
ey b 0 P + B 2 /20 0 ey
0 0 P B 2 /20
b
= ex T ex +
ey T "" b,
ey + bT (6.45)
(For simplicity of presentation, often the directional vectors are omitted and
only the elements of the matrix of tensor coefficients are shown.) The plasma
pressure produces an isotropic tensor (I) expansive (positive) stress, which repre-
sents the thermal motion of particles expanding uniformly in all directions. The
magnetic stress is anisotropic. From TB and (6.45), we see that the magnetic
stress is expansive (positive) in directions ey perpendicular to the magnetic
ex ,
but in tension (negative) along magnetic field lines. Physically,
field B = B b,
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 13
f P + fB P + JB = (TP + TB )
& 2'
B (B )B
= P +
20 0
& 2'
B B2
= P + . (6.46)
20 0
In the last form, the P term represents the isotropic, pressure gradient force,
the next term represents the perpendicular (to B) force due to the magnetic
pressure B 2 /20 and the last term represents the force due to the parallel
tension of magnetic field lines, as if each magnetic cord presses on the fluid
with a force density of (B 2 /0 ) = (B 2 /0 )RC /RC 2
where RC is the local
radius of curvature vector [see (??)] of a magnetic field line.
An MHD fluid element will be in force balance equilibrium, which is usually
just called equilibrium in MHD, if the force density fP + fB vanishes. Then,
there is no net force to drive an inertial force response via the MHD momentum
equation (6.27) and the system momentum conservation equation (6.35) is sat-
ified in equilibrium [(m V)/t = 0]. When there is no gradient in the plasma
pressure (an unconfined plasma), the force balance equilibrium becomes
Taking the cross product of B with this equation, we obtain the diamagnetic
current J = (BP )/B 2 in (6.8), which is the sum of the diamagnetic flows
of all species of charged particles in the plasma given in (??). The perpendicular
b
[b( )] component of the MHD force-balance equation can also be written
[from the last form of (6.46)] as
0
= ln B + P, perpendicular equilibrium in MHD. (6.49)
B2
This formula is the same as (??) given previously in Chapter 3 for the magnetic
field curvature if we use the MHD equilibrium condition JB = P .
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 14
B/B,
Tb
N /,
B
N = b/,
T (6.50)
T), normal (
which are unit vectors in the tangent ( N, or curvature) and binormal
B) directions of the B field. Decomposing the MHD force density on a fluid
(
element into its components in these orthogonal directions, we find
% ( & '
B2 B2 B2
fP + fB = b (b P ) N ( N )(P + )
B (B ) P + .
20 0 20
(6.51)
The conditions for MHD force-balance equilibrium are thus (see Fig. 6.1)
along B: P = P ,
0=b (6.52)
& ) '
B2 B2
curvature direction: 0=
N P + , (6.53)
20 0
& '
B2
binormal direction: 0=
B P + . (6.54)
20
Since there is no magnetic force along the magnetic field (BfB = BJB =
0), in order to satisfy the first (parallel) MHD force balance condition the plasma
pressure P must be constant along magnetic field lines. (The axial confinement
of plasma in a magnetic mirror is achieved via anisotropic pressure see Prob-
lem 6.11.) When nested magnetic flux surfaces exist (see end of Section 3.2),
P/) = 0 requires that the pressure be a function only of the magnetic flux :
dP
P = P () = B P = (B ) = 0, (6.55)
d
which vanishes (assuming finite dP/d), by virtue of the condition for the ex-
istence of a magnetic flux function (??): B = 0. Further, from the dot
product of the current J with the MHD equilibrium force-balance condition
(6.48) we find
J P = 0. (6.56)
From these last two equations we see that the vector fields J and B both lie
within, and do not penetrate, magnetic flux surfaces. Further, we see from
(6.48) that in force balance equilibrium the cross product of these two vectors
in the flux surface must equal the pressure gradient, which is perpendicular to
the flux surface (see Fig. 6.2):
dP
JB = P () = . (6.57)
d
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 15
Figure 6.2: In ideal MHD equilibrium the cross product of the current density J
and magnetic field B vectors within a flux surface is equal to P = (dP/d),
which is normal to the flux surface.
Figure 6.3: Pressure P and magnetic energy density B 2 /20 profiles for: a)
<< 1, and b) $ 1.
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 16
0 = x T = (x T) x : T = (x T) tr{T}, (6.61)
in which we have used vector identities (??), (??) and (??). Integrating this
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 17
last form over a volume larger than the proposed isolated plasma, we obtain
)) )
! dS (x T) = d3x tr{T}, (6.62)
S
in which we have used the tensor form of Gauss divergence theorem (??) to
convert the volume integral to a surface integral. We now examine the integrals
on the left and right separately. For the integral on the left we assume negligible
flows (V 0) and use (6.37) for T. Then, the integral on the left can be written
as
)) )) % & ' (
B2 (x B)B 1 r
! dS (x T) = ! dS x P + 3 = 0.
20 0 r
(6.63)
As indicated at the end, in the limit of large radial distances r from the isolated
plasma this integral vaishes because since there are apparently no magnetic
monopoles in the universe, the magnetic field B must decrease like that for a
dipole field does (|B| 1/r3 ) so the integrand scales as 1/r5 and when integrated
over the surface (|dS| 4r2 ) one finds that the integral decreases at least as
fast as 1/r3 . Next, we consider the integral on the right. Using the matrix
definition of the stress tensor T given in (6.45), we find (for an isolated plasma
within a finite volume V )
) ) & '
B2
d x tr{T} =
3
d x 3P +
3
= constant. (6.64)
V V 20
The only way this last integral can vanish, as is required by the combination
of (6.62) and (6.63), is if the plasma pressure P and magnetic energy den-
sity B 2 /20 (both of which are intrinsically positive quantities) vanish. Thus,
we have found a contradiction: no isolated finite-pressure plasma can by it-
self develop a self-confining magnetic field in force balance equilibrium. This
proof
5 3 and analysis
5 is sometimes called a virial theorem (because it results from
d x x f = d3x x T = 0) and was first derived by V.D. Shafranov.1
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 18
V(x, t) and determine the changes in the mass density m , pressure P and mag-
netic field B induced by V. Then, these responses are used in the momentum
equation (6.27) which is then solved self-consistently to determine the mass flow
velocity V.
We begin by considering the temporal evolution of the mass density in re-
sponse to V, which is governed by (6.25):
in which we have used the vector identity (??) in obtaining the first form and the
total time derivative definition in (6.30) in obtaining the second form. Here, as
shown in Fig. ??, in the Eulerian (fixed position) picture [first form of (6.65)], the
flow causes changes in the mass density at a fixed point by advecting (Vm )
the mass flow at velocity V into a region of different mass density, or by com-
pressibility (V ,= 0) of the flow. In the Lagrangian (moving with fluid ele-
ment) picture [second form of (6.65)], the mass density only changes due to the
compressibility of the flow (V ,= 0).
The pressure evolution can be determined from the isentropic form of the
MHD equation of state [i.e., (6.29) neglecting the small entropy production due
to joule heating]:
d P 1 dP dm 1 dP
ln = = + V = 0, (6.66)
dt m P dt m dt P dt
in which (6.65) has been used to obtain the last form. With the total time
derivative definition (6.30), this yields
P
= VP P V = VP c2S m V (6.67)
t
in which 4
cS P/m , MHD sound speed (m/s). (6.68)
Thus, like the mass density, the plasma pressure changes in MHD are due to
advection (VP ) and flow compression (V ,= 0). The presence of the sound
speed in the last form of (6.67) shows that the compressiblity of the flow leads to
pressure changes that move at the MHD sound speed through the plasma. Thus,
the fluid motion at velocity V causes advection and compressibility changes in
the mass density m and plasma pressure P , which are scalar quantities.
Note that the MHD sound speed is different from the ion acoustic speed
(??) in Section 1.4 because in a MHD description both the electrons and ions
have fluidlike (inertial) responses whereas for ion acoustic waves while the ions
have a fluidlike response the electrons respond adiabatically. Unfortunately,in
plasma physics the same symbol is usually used for both wave speeds which
is meant is usually clear from the context. Also note that for most plasmas
with comparable electron and ion temperatures these two speeds are close in
magnitude.
The next question is: what is the effect of the fluid motion on the magnetic
field B(x, t), which is a vector field? Physically, we know that plasmas have
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 19
a very high electrical conductivity (low resistivity). In the ideal MHD model
we set the resistivity to zero and hence effectively assume infinite electrical
conductivity; thus, the plasma is a superconductor in ideal MHD. From the
properties of a superconducting wire of finite cross-section, we know that the
magnetic field is frozen into it and moves with the wire as it is moved. Thus,
we can intuitively anticipate that a fluid element in our superconducting ideal
MHD plasma will carry the magnetic field (or at least the bundle of magnetic
field lines penetrating it) with it wherever it moves and will always contain the
same amount of magnetic flux (number of field lines2 ). We can also anticipate
that the addition of resistivity in the resistive MHD model will allow some
slippage of the magnetic field lines relative to the fluid element.
We now develop mathematical representations of the idea that the magnetic
field is mostly frozen into an MHD fluid element 55 and moves with it. Consider
the time derivative of the magnetic flux S B dS [see (??)] though an
open surface S in the fluid that moves with the fluid at velocity V:
)) )) % (
d d dB d
= B dS = dS + B (dS) . (6.69)
dt dt S S dt dt
The total time derivative is appropriate here because we are seeking the change
in the magnetic flux penetrating a (changing) surface whose boundary is dis-
torted in time as it moves with the fluid velocity V(x, t), which is in general
nonuniform. The time derivative of the (vectorial) differential surface area dS
represents changes due to changes in its constituent differential line elements
induced by the nonuniform flow see Section D.4. Using (??) for this time
derivative and the definition of the total time derivative in (6.30), we find
)) %& ' (
d B
= + VB + B (V) B V dS
dt S t
)) % (
B
= (VB) dS, (6.70)
S t
in which we have used vector identity (??) and the Maxwell equation B = 0
in going from the first to the second line.
For the evolution of the magnetic field B we use Faradays law (6.31) together
with the MHD Ohms law (6.28) to specify the electric field E:
B 2
= E = (VB) J $ (VB) + B
t 0
MHD magnetic field evolution. (6.71)
Here, in the last, approximate form we have used J = B/0 (Amperes law),
neglected for simplicity, and used the vector identity (??) and the Maxwell
2 While magnetic field lines do not really exist since their properties cannot be measured,
they are a useful concept for visualizing the behavior of the magnetic field B.
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 20
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 21
Figure 6.4: Possible MHD evolution of a set of field lines in a sheared slab
magnetic field model: a) initial sheared magnetic field equilibrium, b) sinusoidal
perturbation in ideal MHD ( = 0), and c) resistive MHD ( ,= 0) with magnetic
field reconnection into magnetic island structures.
elements are tied together, cannot break up or tear, and cannot interchange
positions relative to each other. Thus, as illustrated in Figure 6.4, in the ideal
MHD model the topology of magnetic field lines and flux surfaces is conserved
nested magnetic flux surfaces remain forever nested (even though their shape
may become highly distorted), and plasma in regions inside (or outside) a
given magnetic flux surface remain inside (outside) forever. The inclusion of
resistivity in the MHD model allows diffusion of the magnetic field relative to
the plasma, and hence reconnection of the magnetic field lines and changes in
the magnetic topology for example by forming a magnetic island such as
indicated in Figure 6.4c. In section 6.7 we discuss the relative importance of
resistivity in MHD analyses of plasmas.
The most convenient form of the MHD momentum equation (6.27) for dy-
namical analyses uses the middle form of the force density fB in (6.46) and is
given by & '
dV B2 (B )B
m = P + + . (6.74)
dt 20 0
Note that we have now reduced the full MHD equation set (6.25)(6.44) to
just three (or seven component) equations the scalar pressure equation in
(6.67), the vector magnetic field evolution equation in (6.71) and this last vector
momentum equation (6.76). These equations are usually all we need to describe
the linear and nonlinear dynamics of plasmas in the MHD model. [The mass
density equation (6.65) is only needed when the equilibrium mass density is
inhomogeneneous.] Note that for these MHD dynamical model equations the
charge continuity equation J = 0 is automatically satisfied by our having
used Amperes law to replace the current J with B/0 , which is divergence
free. Also, the electric field E does not appear because it was replaced by
VB + J using the MHD Ohms law.
6.6 Alfv
en Waves
To illustrate the fundamental wave responses of plasmas in the MHD model
(Alfven waves named after their discoverer), we consider plasma responses
to small perturbations in the simplest possible plasma and magnetic field model.
Namely, for the equilibrium we consider a uniform, nonflowing (V0 = 0) plasma
in an infinite, homogeneous magnetic field B0 = B0 This model
ez = B0 b.
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 22
trivially satisfies the MHD equilibrium force balance condition (6.48) since
0 J0 = B0 = 0 and P = 0 because both the equilibrium magnetic field
B0 and pressure P0 are uniform in space. For perturbed responses we assume
m = m0 + m , P = P0 + P ,
V = V,
B = B0 + B, (6.75)
in which the zero subscript indicates equilibrium quantities and the tilde over
quantities indicates perturbed variables. Decomposing the perturbed mag-
" = b(
netic field into its parallel [B b = B
B) " b]
and perpendicular [B
b
b( components, we find the square of the magnetic field strength B
B)]
is
(B0 + B)
B 2 (B0 + B) = B 2 + 2B0 B
" + B |2 $ B 2 + 2B0 B
2 + |B " . (6.76)
0 " 0
We will use the last expression, which is the linearized form (i.e., it neglects
terms that are second order in the perturbation amplitudes).
Substituting the equilibrium plus perturbed quantities in (6.75) and (6.76)
into the ideal MHD equations for the evolution of the pressure (6.67), flow
velocity (6.74) and magnetic field [(6.71) with 0] and linearizing (neglect
second and higher order terms in the perturbation amplitudes), we obtain
P
= P0 V, (6.77)
t , -
V B "
B 1
m0 = P +
0
+
(B0 )B, (6.78)
t 0 0
B
= (VB
0 ) = B0 ( V) + (B0 )V. (6.79)
t
In the last equation we used vector identity (??) and set to zero terms involving
gradients of the homogeneous equilibrium magnetic field B0 . Equations for the
parallel and perpendicular components of the magnetic field are obtained from
the corresponding projections of the magnetic field evolution equation:
B + (B0 )V" ,
" /t = B0 (V) (6.80)
B .
/t = (B0 )V (6.81)
These equations can be combined into a single (vector) equation by taking the
partial derivative of the perturbed momentum equation (6.78) and substituting
in the needed partial derivatives from the other equations (see Problem 6.20):
2V
+ c2 [2 V
= (c2S + c2A )(V)
2 A " " V" b" ( V)] (6.82)
t
in which
B0 B0
cA $ 2.2 1016 m/s, Alfven speed. (6.83)
0 m0 ni Ai
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 23
Here, Ai mi /mp is the atomic mass value of the ions, the perpendicular ()
and parallel (0) subscripts indicate the respective components of the quantities
as defined in (??)(??). The magnitude of the Alfven speed can be appreciated
by noting its relationship to the sound speed defined in (6.68):
c2S P0 /m0
= 2 = . (6.84)
c2A B /0 m0 2
Thus, for < 1 the Alfven speed is a factor of about 1/ greater than the
MHD sound speed.
While (6.82) clearly has a wavelike structure, it is a quite complicated and
anisotropic wave equation. We consider here only some special cases to illustrate
the basic waves involved. (Section 7.6* provides a comprehensive analysis.)
First, consider waves propagating purely perpendicular to the magnetic field
by setting " = 0. Then, taking the divergence of (6.82) we obtain
% 2 (
(c2
A + c2
S ) ( V ) = 0
2
= 2 = k 2
(c2A + c2S ),
t2
compressional Alfven waves. (6.85)
This wave equation describes fast compressional Alfven waves. In the last
form we assumed a wave-like response V exp[i(kxt)] to obtain the wave
dispersion relation. Compressional Alfven waves propagate perpendicular
4 to
the magnetic field with a wave phase speed given by V /k = c2A + c2S ,
which is the fastest MHD wave phase speed. These waves propagate by per-
pendicular flow compression ( V ,= 0) and also involve magnetic field
compression [B" ,= 0 see (6.80)] and pressure perturbations [P ,= 0 see
(6.85)]. Adding the pressure perturbation (6.77) and B0 /0 times the magnetic
perturbation (6.80) with " = 0, one can show that
, - , -
2 B "
B
V B "
B
P + = (cA + cS ) P +
0 0
= (cA + cS ) m0
2 2 2 2 2
t2 0 t 0
(6.86)
in which for the last form we have used (6.78) with " = 0. Thus, the compress-
ibility in the perpendicular flow also causes the sum of the perturbed pressure
and magnetic field energy density to satisfy a compressional Alfven wave equa-
tion. Physically, as can be noted from the importance of the perpendicular
component of (6.78) in these waves, the compressional Alfven waves are the
responses of the plasma to imbalances in the perpendicular (to B) force balance
in the plasma. Thus, on equilibrium time scales (after these wave responses
have propagated away), MHD plasma responses will be in radial force balance
equilibrium and not have any driving sources for compressional Alfven waves:
J0 B0 = P0 , = 0,
V P + B0 B
" /0 = 0. (6.87)
These are the lowest order conditions for equilibria and perturbations in an
MHD plasma (even in inhomogeneous magnetic fields see Chapter 21); they
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 24
V,
Figure 6.5: Perturbations (B, P ) in the three fundamental types of MHD
waves: a) compressional Alfven, b) shear Alfven, and c) sound.
These are called slow Alfven waves because their (parallel) phase speed V"
/k" = cA is less than the phase speed for the compressional Alfven waves.
They are called shear (or torsional) Alfven waves because their V induces a
perpendicular magnetic field perturbation B that shears or twists the magnetic
field see (6.81). In the MHD model, instabilities often arise that indirectly
excite shear Alfven waves; such instabilities must have exponential growth rates
Im{} > k" cA so they are not be stabilized by the energy required to excite
these shear Alfven waves.
Finally, consider compressible waves in the parallel flow (V = V" b)
propa-
gating along the magnetic field ( = 0). Then, the parallel component of the
general MHD wave equation (6.82) becomes
& 2 '
cS " V" = 0 = 2 = k"2 c2S , parallel sound waves. (6.89)
2 2
t2
These are neutral-fluid-type sound waves (see A.6) that propagate along the
magnetic field by parallel compression of the flow (" V" ,= 0). They are elec-
trostatic waves since, as can be seen from (6.80) and (6.81), they produce no
magnetic perturbations (i.e., B = 0 for these waves). MHD instabilities often
indirectly excite parallel sound waves; such instabilities must have exponential
growth rates Im{} > k" cS so they are not be stabilized by the energy required
to excite the sound waves.
The properties of the perturbations in these three fundamental types of
MHD waves are illustrated in Fig. 6.5. As shown in Fig. 6.5a, (fast) com-
pressional Alfven waves have: oscillatory parallel magnetic field perturbations
B" that increase or decrease the local magnetic field strength (density of field
lines), compressible pependicular flows, and corresponding oscillatory pressure
perturbations, all in the direction perpendicular to the equilibrium magnetic
field direction B0 = B0 ez , which is horizontal in the figure. In contrast, the
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 25
(slow) shear Alfven waves (Fig. 6.5b) have: oscillatory perpendicular magnetic
fields B along the magnetic field, but
and oscillatory perpendicular flows V
no pressure perturbation (because these perurbed flows are incompressible). Fi-
nally, as shown in Fig. 6.5c, the parallel sound waves have: no magnetic field
perturbation (because they are electrostatic), an oscillatory compressible paral-
lel flow V" and corresponding pressure P perturbations along the magnetic field
direction.
In the more general case of propagation of MHD waves at arbitrary angles
to the magnetic field direction, these three types of waves become coupled (see
Section 7.6). These waves also become coupled in inhomogeneous magnetic fields
because the parallel and perpendicular directions vary spatially. Nonetheless,
the basic wave characteristics we have discussed are usually still evident in these
more complicated situations.
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 26
To illustrate the spatial and temporal scale lengths involved in magnetic diff-
ision, consider the distance an electromagnetic wave can penetrate (see Section
1.5) into a resistive medium in which the magnetic field behavior is governed by
(6.90). For wavelike perturbations B exp[i(kx t)], the diffusion equation
becomes
4 4
= k 2 (/0 )B
i B = k = i0 / = (1 + i) (/2)(0 /). (6.93)
It is called a skin depth because of its analogy with the problem of deter-
mining how far an oscillating magnetic field (e.g., due to 60 Hz AC electricity)
penetrates into a cylindrical wire of finite radius. This skin depth formula is
appropriate for radian frequencies < e , while the collisionless skin depth for-
mula (??) is appropriate for higher frequencies see Problem 6.25. For Te =
2000 eV, which gives /0 $ 0.016 m2 /s (close to the resistivity of copper at
room temperature of /0 $ 0.135 m2 /s), the resistive skin depth ranges from
0.07 mm for f = /2 = 104 Hz ( = 2 104 ) to about 1 cm for 60 Hz.
Another way of illustrating the temporal behavior of magnetic field diffusion
in a magnetized plasma is to ask: on what time scale will a magnetic field
component diffuse away from being localized to a region of width L ? Because
for diffusive processes the diffusion coefficient scales with spatial and temporal
steps as D (x)2 /t L2 / (see Appendix A.5), we can estimate phe-
nomenologically that L2 /(/0 ). One often considers a cylindrical model
consisting of a column of magnetized plasma with radius a that initially carries
an axial current. For such a cylindrical model the resistivity-induced decay time
of the current (and induced azimuthal magnetic field) is (see Section A.5)
a2
$ , resistive skin diffusion time. (6.95)
6 /0
Here, the numerical factor of 6 is a cylindrical geometry factor which more pre-
cisely is the square of the first zero of the J0 Bessel function: j0,0
2
$ 2.4052 $ 5.78
see Appendix A.5 and (??). However, the additional accuracy is unwarranted
both because of the approximations involved in the simple model used to derive
and because of the intrinsic accuracy of the electrical resistivity ($ 1/ ln
510%). For a plasma of radius a = 0.3 m with Te = 2000 eV, which gives
/0 $ 0.016 m2 /s, the skin time is 1 s.
Finally, we discuss the relative importance of the two contributions to mag-
netic field evolution (6.71) in the MHD model: advection of the magnetic field
by (VB), and resistive diffusion by (/0 )2 B. The relative importance
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 27
Here, we have taken the typical velocity to be the Alfven speed cA and assumed
scale lengths L" [e.g., periodicity scale length along B see (6.81)] for the
advection process and a (e.g., plasma radius) for the magnetic diffusion. Typical
Lundquist numbers range from 102 for cold, resistive plasmas, to 105 1010 for
the earths magnetosphere and magnetic fusion experiments, to 1010 1014 for
the suns corona and astrophysical plasmas.
Because the Lundquist number is large for almost all magnetized plasmas
of interest (and extremely large for high temperature plasmas), one might be
tempted to just set the resistivity to zero (S ) and always use the ideal
MHD model. Indeed, throughout most of a plasma the magnetic field is frozen
into and moves with the plasma fluid. However, a small resistivity can be
very important in resistive boundary layers. The boundary layers occur in
the vicinity of magnetic field lines where the parallel derivative (B0 )V in
(6.81) vanishes so the B evolution becomes dominated by resistive evolution
of B , rather than by advection. The width of these resistive boundary layers
scales inversely with a fractional power of the Lundquist number (S 1/3 or
S 2/5 ) and hence is not negligible see Chapter 22. Since resistivity allows the
magnetic field lines to slip relative to the plasma fluid, they relax (in the resistive
layers) the frozen flux constraint and thereby allow new types of instabilities
resistive MHD instabilities, which are described in Chapter 22. Since the
resistivity only relaxes the frozen flux constraint in thin layers, resistive MHD
instabilities grow much slower (by factors of S 1/3 or S 3/5 ) than ideal MHD
instabilities. However, resistive MHD instabilities are quite important, because
they can lead to turbulent plasma transport (see Section 25.3) and because
in these narrow resistive boundary layers the magnetic field lines can tear or
reconnect and thereby lead to changes in the magnetic topology (see Section
22.3). For example, they can nonlinearly evolve into a magnetic island structure
like that shown in Fig. 6.4c.
ever, S is the ratio of linear advection to a dissipative process rather than the ratio of nonlinear
advection to a dissipative process, as the neutral fluid Reynolds number is see (??). We
will call S the Lundquist number to avoid the implication that this dimensionless number is
indicative of nonlinear processes that always lead to turbulence when it is large.
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 28
require kinetic descriptions, but then over longer time and length scales more
fluidlike, macroscopic models become appropriate. Also, the equilibrium of
the faster time scale processes often provide constraint conditions for the longer
time scale, more macroscopic processes.
In a magnetized plasma there are many more relevant parameters, and their
relative magnitudes and consequences can vary from one application to another.
Thus, to provide a table similar to Table ?? for magnetized plasmas, we need to
specify the parameters for a particular application. We will choose parameters
toward the edge (r/a = 0.7) of a typical 1990s large-scale tokamak plasma
(e.g., the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor: TFTR): Te = Ti = 1 keV, ne = 31019
m3 , B = 4 T, deuterium ions, Zeff = 2, L" = R0 q $ 6 m, a = 0.8 m, Lp = 0.5
m. In a magnetized plasma the unmagnetized phenomena listed in Table ??
still occur; however, their effects only influence responses along the magnetic
field direction. Parameters for the gyromotion, bounce motion and drift motion
of charged particles in this tokamak magnetic field structure are approximately
the same as those indicated in (??) and (??).
Table 6.1 presents an outline of magnetized-plasma-specific plasma phenom-
ena, and their relevant time scales, appropriate models and possible conse-
quences for the tokamak plasma parameters indicated in the preceding para-
graph. In it time scales are indicated in half order of magnitudes (100.5 =
3.16 3). As indicated, the fastest magnetic-specific process in magnetized
plasmas is the gyromotion of particles about the magnetic field, for which the ap-
propriate model is the Vlasov equation. The ion gyromotion leads to cyclotron
(Bernstein) waves, finite ion gyroradius (FLR) effects and a perpendicular di-
electric response (Sections 7.5, 7.6). There are of course also electron cyclotron
motion and waves. The propagation of (electron and ion) cyclotron-type waves
in plasmas and their use for wave heating of magnetized plasmas are discussed
in Chapters 9 and 10. If the electron or ion distribution function is peaked at a
nonzero energy (so f0 / > 0), it can lead to cyclotron instabilities (Chapter
18) whose nonlinear evolution to a steady state or bursting situation is often
determined by collisions (Section 24.1).
The next fastest time scales are typically those associated with the the Alfven
wave and sound wave frequencies which are described by the ideal MHD model:
(6.25)(6.39) with 0. As indicated in Table 6.1, in the usual situation
where compressional Alfven waves are stable, their effect is to impose radial (
to B) force balance equilbrium [(6.48) and Chapter 20] on the plasma and lower
frequency perturbations in the plasma. The shear Alfven and sound waves
can lead to virulent macroscopic current-driven (kink) and pressure-gradient-
driven (interchange) instabilities (Chapter 21). The nonlinear consequences
of an ideal MHD instability is often dramatic movement or catastrophic loss
of the plasma in a few to ten instability growth times; hence most magnetic
confinement systems are designed to provide ideal MHD stability for the plasmas
placed in them.
Next, we turn to the sequentially slower particle and plasma motions along
(0), across () and perpendicular () to the magnetic field B. The fastest
motion along a magnetic field line is the electron bounce motion, which is de-
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 29
Ohms law in MHD > 1/e 105 s resistive MHD resistive inst.
cross () to B
diamagnetic flow < 105 s
1/ gyrokinetic drift wave inst.
cross flow equil. 1/i 103 s drift kinetic cross flow damp.
perp. () to B
plasma transport E a2 /4 two-fluid loss of plasma
B field evolution a2 0 /6 res./neo. MHD B field diffusion,
magnetic islands
scribed by a parallel motion version of the Vlasov equation [the drift kinetic
equation (??) without the collision operator and drift velocity vD ]. On time
scales longer than the electron bounce time (1/be ), the lowest order distribution
function becomes constant along field lines (" f0e = 0 and hence density and
temperature become constant along B), and distinctions between trapped and
untrapped electrons and their differing particle orbits become evident. For the
parameters chosen, we have an electron collision length e = vT e /e $ 200 m
33L" and hence e " 33 >> 1. This is a typical toroidal plasma which is
often (confusingly) called collisionless because the collision length is long
compared to the parallel periodicity length. Since the electron gyroradius is
negligibly small, the collisional evolution of the electron species on the collision
time scale (1/e ) is governed by the (electron) drift kinetic equation (??). Its so-
lution for axisymmetric toroidal plasmas is discussed in Section 16.2*. For times
long compared to the electron collision time the plasma acquires its electrical
resistivity and the collisions of untrapped electrons produce entropy through
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 30
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 31
PROBLEMS
6.1 Use the definition of the pressure in (??) with vr v V to show that the
isotropic pressure of a species in the center-of-mass frame (V) of an MHD plasma
is
pCM
s = ps + (ns ms /3)|Vs V|2. /
6.2 Show that the plasma momentum equation (6.6) obtained by adding the electron
and ion momentum equations is exact (i.e., it does not involve an me /mi << 1
approximation). [Hint: To obtain the inertia term on the left it is easiest to use
(??) for the electron and ion momentum equations. Also, first show that
! !
ms ns Vs Vs = m VV + ms ns (Vs V)(Vs V)
s s
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 32
6.4 Multiply the electron and ion momentum balance equations (??) by qe /me and
qi /mi and add them to obtain the exact generalized Ohms law
8 & '
J J" J
+ (JV + VJ q VV) = #0 p2 E + VB +
t "
9
(1 Zi me /mi )JB [PCM CM
e Zi (me /mi )Pi ]
(1 + Zi me /mi )ne e
in which PCMs ps I + s + ns ms (Vs V)(Vs V) is the pressure tensor of
a species in the center-of-mass frame (V) of the plasma. Show that this result
simplifies to (6.17) for me /mi << 1 and strongly subsonic relative species flows
(|Vs V|/vT s << 1). [Hint: Use ne /ni = qi /e = Zi for this two species plasma
and
mi ni (J/ne e) me ne (J/ne e)
Ve = V , Vi = V + .] ///
m e ne + m i ni me ne + mi ni
6.5 Show that the electron inertia term is negligible compared to the electric field
in the parallel generalized Ohms law for kc/pe << 1. [Hint: Use the parallel
component of the nonrelativistic Amperes law: 2A" = 0 J" from (??).] //*
6.6 Show that for a wavelike perturbation in a sheared slab model magnetic field
the perturbed electron pressure gradient is negligible in the parallel generalized
Ohms law when (6.19) is satisfied and >> e . [Hint: When the magnetic
field is perturbed in MHD B B0 + A & B0 + A " b
and " b
is changed accordingly.] //*
6.7 Show that the perpendicular electron inertia term is a factor of at least /ce
smaller than E in (6.20) and hence negligible in MHD. [Hint: Show that for the
diamagnetic and polarization MHD currents the electron inertia term is smaller
than that due to the electron polarization flow (??).] //*
6.8 Derive the MHD system momentum density equation (6.35). [Hint: Rewrite the
momentum equation (6.27) using Amperes law and vector identities (??), (??)
and (??).] //
6.9 Derive the MHD system energy density equation (6.36). [Hint: Take the dot
product of V with the MHD momemtum equation (6.45), and simplify the result
using Ohms law in the form VB = J E, vector identities (??) and (??),
and
1 P
VP = + P V J 2,
1 t 1
which is obtained from a combination of the equation of state (6.29) and the
mass density equation (6.25).] //
6.10 Use the tensor form of Gauss theorem (??) to calculate the force on a volume
of MHD fluid in terms of a surface integral over the stress tensor. Use an
infinitesimal volume form of your result to discuss the components of the force
in the ex , directions. //
ey , b
6.11 The pressure tensor in an open-ended magnetic mirror is anisotropic because
of the loss-cone. a) Show that for species distribution functions fs which do
not depend on the gyroangle the pressure tensor is in general of the form
P = P (I b b)
+ P" b
b in which P = P (, , B) and P" = P" (, , B). b)
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 33
Work out P. c) Show that the condition for force balance along a magnetic
P = 0) can be reduced to
field (b
:
P" :: P" P
= .
B :, B
d) Discuss how this result indicates confinement of plasma along the magnetic
field in a magnetic mirror. ///
6.12 Obtain the angle between J and B in a screw pinch equilibrium as a function
of a relevant plasma . //*
6.13 Consider a pressure profile given by P (x)/P (0) = exp(x2/a2 ) in a sheared slab
magnetic field model with no curvature or shear. a) Calculate the diamagnetic
current. b) Determine the Bz (x) profile induced by this diamagnetic current.
c) Show that the plasma pressure produces a diamagnetic effect. d) Show that
your Bz (x) agrees with (6.59). //
6.14 Consider the MHD radial force balance equilibrium of a cylindrical plasma with
a pressure profile P (r) that vanishes for r a which is placed in a uniform
magnetic field B = B0 ez . Use the azimuthal component of Amperes law for J
and solve the resultant force balance equation for Bz (r). Show that your result
agrees with (6.59). /
6.15 One definition of a magnetic field line is d#B = 0. Show that its time deriva-
tive yields the magnetic evolution equation (6.71). How does this show that a
magnetic field line is advected with the moving plasma in the ideal MHD limit?
[Hint: Use vector identities (??) for (d/dt)d# and (??), (??).] //
6.16 Show that for a Clebsch magnetic field representation B = the ideal
MHD evolution equation (6.71) is satisfied by d/dt = d/dt = 0. Why does
this show that a magnetic field line is advected with an ideal MHD plasma? //
6.17 Derive the canonical flux invariant for an isentropic plasma species that is a
combination of the magnetic flux and species vorticity flux which is deduced
from the canonical momentum (??) ps = ms v + qs A as follows. a) First,
average the canonical momentum over a Maxwellian distribution to obtain p s =
ms Vs + qs A. b) Next, use this result to define a species canonical flux invariant
)) & ' )) & '
ms ms
#s dS A + Vs = dS B + Vs .
S
qs S
qs
c) Obtain d#s /dt and use the species momentum equation (??) to show that
)) & '
d#s ps + s Rs
= dS .
dt S
ns q s
d) Show that d#s /dt = 0 for an isentropic plasma species. e) Discuss how the
canonical flux invariant #s combines the ideal MHD frozen flux theorem (6.73)
and the Kelvin circulation theorem (??). f) Indicate the physical processes
that can cause net transport of a plasma species relative to the canonical flux
surfaces #s . g) Why doesnt inertia contribute to transport relative to the #s
surfaces? [Hint: Use vector identities (??), (??) and (??) in part c).] ///*
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CHAPTER 6. PLASMA DESCRIPTIONS II: MHD 34
6.18 Show that for the MHD model the electron and ion canonical fluxes defined in
the preceding problem are, to lowest order in (me /mi )1/2 << 1,
)) & ' )) & '
c2 2 c V
#e & dS 1 2
B, #i & dS B + B .
S
pe S
pi cA
Use these two relations to discuss the degree to which the magnetic field is frozen
into the electron and ion fluids in an ideal MHD plasma. //*
6.19 Show that the total mass M of an MHD plasma in a volume V that moves with
the plasma flow velocity V will be conserved if the mass density satisfies the
mass density equation (6.25). [Hint: Determine the condition for dM/dt = 0
and use vector identity (??) for (d/dt)d3x.] //
6.20 Work out the terms on the right of (6.82). [Hint: Since B = B0 b is spatially
uniform, it commutes with the " b and = b" operators.] //
6.21 Work out formulas for the ratio of the electron and ion thermal speeds to the
Alfven speed in terms of e 20 pe /B 2 and i 20 pi /B 2 . What are these
ratios for a = 0.08, Te = Ti , electron-deuteron plasma? /
6.22 How large would the magnetic field strength B have to be for the Alfven speed
to be equal to the speed of light for ne = 1020 m3 and Ai = 2? /
6.23 Show that for perturbations on the equilibrium time scale for compressional
Alfven waves
" /B0 = (/2) (P /P0 ). /
B
6.24 Since to lowest order in me /mi << 1 the MHD momentum equation results from
the ion momentum equation, on the equilibrium time scale for compressional
Alfven waves the radial component of the ion momentum equation should be in
equilibrium. Show that the equilibrium radial ion momentum (force) balance
equation in a screw pinch plasma yields the following relation for the axial flow
in terms of the radial electric field, pressure gradient and poloidal flow:
& '
1 d0 1 dp0i
Viz = + Vi Bz . /
B dr n0i qi dr
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 1
Appendix A
This appendix provides a summary of the fundamental physical laws from other
areas of physics, as they are commonly used in plasma physics. Key equations,
units and physical constants are given for mechanics, electrodynamics, statistical
mechanics, kinetic theory of gases, stochastic diffusion processes, fluid mechan-
ics and quantum mechanical effects. While the procedures for deriving these
equations are given in outline form, details are omitted. Readers should con-
sult the textbook references listed at the end of each section for more detailed
explanations and theoretical developments. In some parts of this appendix
extensive use is made of the vector algebra and calculus relations given in Ap-
pendix D. The International System of Units (Syst`eme International dUnites),
often called mks units, are used throughout this appendix, and the book. Phys-
ical constants and SI unit interrelationships are given in tables in Section A.8
at the end of this Appendix.
A.1 Mechanics
Newtons second law states that the mass m times the acceleration a of a particle
is given by the force F (in units of newtons or kg m/s2 )
Since the acceleration in (A.1) is just the time derivative of the particle velocity,
a dv/dt, taking the dot product of the velocity v with Newtons second law
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 2
where mv 2 /2 m(v v)/2 T is the particle kinetic energy and V (x) is the
potential energy. The SI unit of energy is the joule (J), which is equal to a
newton meter (N m). In plasma physics particle energies are usually quoted
in electron volts (eV), which is the energy in joules divided by the elementary
charge [ eV J/e = J/(1.602 1019 ) ].
The force on a particle of charge q subjected to an electric field E(x, t) and
a magnetic induction field B(x, t) is
For electrostatic situations with no magnetic field, the electric field can be writ-
ten in terms of the electrostatic potential (x) : E = . Then, the Lorentz
force becomes conservative [see (A.2)] with V (x) = q(x), and the energy
conservation relation (A.3) is applicable.
When only a magnetic field is present, the combination of Newtons second
law and the Lorentz force becomes
dv dv
m = qvB = = c v, (A.5)
dt dt
where
c qB/m, the angular velocity, (A.6)
for gyromotion of the charged particle in the magnetic field. The negative sign
is needed in this vectorial definition so that charged particles gyrate according
to the right-hand rule with the thumb pointing in the direction of c . The
magnitude of c gives the radian frequency (rad/s) for the gyromotion:
which is also called the cyclotron (the source of the subscript c) or Larmor1
frequency. This formula is unchanged for relativistic particles except
# for the
fact that then the mass becomes the relativistic mass: m m/ 1 v 2 /c2 .
Since the dot product of (A.5) with the velocity v vanishes, the particle kinetic
energy is constant a magnetic field does no work on a charged particle in its
gyromotion. In gyromotion a charged particle executes a circular motion about
the magnetic field B with a radius of
# v /c , gyroradius, (A.8)
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 3
For situations where both electric and magnetic fields are present, it is conve-
nient to write them in terms of the scalar potential (x, t) and vector potential
A(x, t): E = A/t, B = A see (A.55). Then, Newtons second
law (A.1) for a nonrelativistic charged particle subjected to the Lorentz force
(A.4) can be written as
$ %
dv U d U
m = + , U = q q(v A) (A.9)
dt x dt v
mv 2
L(x, v, t) T U = q + q(v A), Lagrangian, (A.10)
2
where again T = mv 2 /2 is the particle kinetic energy. The vector equation of
motion for a charged particle (i.e., Newtons second law with the Lorentz force)
can be written in terms of the Lagrangian as
& ' ( '
d L '' L ''
= 0, Lagrangian equations of motion. (A.11)
dt v ' t,x x ' t,v
ek , the orthogonal
For an orthogonal coordinate system with unit base vectors
projections of this vector equation yield
$ %
d L L
= 0, k = 1, 2, 3 Lagranges equations. (A.12)
dt qk qk
Here, the spatial coordinates are qk ek x and the velocity coordinates are
qk ek v = ek dx/dt. Note that, like Newtons second law, Lagranges
equations are in general second order ordinary differential equations in time.
It is often convenient to change the charged particle equation of motion into
two coupled first order differential equations. To effect this change one first
defines
L
p = mv + qA, canonical momentum, (A.13)
v
in which v dq/dt. Next, the single particle Hamiltonian function H, which
also has units of energy, is defined through the Legendre transformation:
dx |p qA|2
H(x, p, t) p L = + q T + V, Hamiltonian. (A.14)
dt 2m
It is the sum of the kinetic energy (T = |p qA|2 /2m = mv 2 /2) and the
potential energy (V = q), and by construction is independent of velocity:
H/v|x,p,t = 0. The equation of motion for a charged particle can be written
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 4
The total time derivative of the Hamiltonian is given via chain-rule partial
differentiation by
' ' '
dH H '' dx H '' dp H ''
= + + .
dt t 'x,p dt x 't,p dt p 't,x
Using Hamiltons equations of motion, the sum of all terms except the explicit
partial time derivative vanish because the Hamiltonian does not vary along
the charged particles motion in the relevant (x, p) six-dimensional phase space:
dx/dt H/x + dp/dt H/p = 0. Thus, the total time derivative of the
Hamiltonian is simply
' ' $ %
dH H '' L '' A
= = = q v , (A.16)
dt t 'x,p t 'x,v t t
dpk H dqk H
= , = , k = 1, 2, 3, Hamiltons equations, (A.17)
dt qk dt pk
in which pk ek p are the canonical momentum coordinates and qk ek x
are the conjugate spatial coordinates.
The various equations of motion have been written in forms that are inde-
pendent of the coordinate system and they are valid in the initial coordinate
system as well as transformed ones. Also, the equations are valid for non-
relativistic particles (v << c) and are all Galilean invariant. That is, they are
unchanged upon transformation to another inertial (non-accelerating) frame ac-
cording to v# = v + Vf and E# = E + Vf B, where Vf is the velocity of the
second inertial frame (subscript f ) relative to the first.
When the potential and vector potential A do not depend explicitly on
time, (A.16) shows that the Hamiltonian is a constant of the motion:
|p qA|2 mv 2
H = + q = + q = = constant,
2m 2
A
for = 0, = 0, energy conservation. (A.18)
t t
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 5
In such conservative systems the particle energy and time are canonical conju-
gate Hamiltonian coordinates: p = and q = t.
When the gradient of the Hamiltonian vanishes in a particular direction ek ,
(A.15) shows that the conjugate canonical momentum in the same direction is
a constant of the motion:
H
pk ek p = ek (mv + qA) = constant for ek = 0,
x
canonical momentum conservation. (A.19)
In an orthogonal coordinate system the base vector ek becomes the unit vector
ek ; then, the criterion for canonical momentum conservation in the
ek direction
becomes simply H/qk = 0 (i.e., H independent of the coordinate qk , which
implies symmetry in the ek direction).
Lagranges or Hamiltons equations of motion can be derived (by considering
variations with x and v dx/dt or p as the independent variables, respectively)
from Hamiltons variational principle of least
) action (time integral of difference
between kinetic and potential energy): L dt = 0. It can also be shown using
(A.14) that for a conservative system
) where the Hamiltonian is a constant of the
motion [see (A.18)], the action p dq is a variational quantity along a particle
trajectory.
For periodic motion in a given coordinate qi it is convenient to introduce as
a variable the action integral over a cycle:
* + 2
1 1 qi
Ji = pi dqi = di pi , action variable. (A.20)
2 2 0 i
The action variable, which is a momentum-like quantity, is the area in pi , qi
phase space encompassed by the periodic motion. The canonically conjugate
action-angle i is the angular or cyclic variable corresponding to periodic motion
around the perimeter of this area. Hamilton-Jacobi theory (see references at end
of this section) can usually be used to determine the action angle coordinate
qi i . Writing the Hamiltonian in terms of the action variable Ji , the Hamilton
equation dqi /dt = H/pi [see (A.17)] becomes:
di H
= i , action angle evolution equation. (A.21)
dt Ji
The period of the oscillatory motion can be determined in general from
* * *
dqi dqi
i dt = = , oscillation period. (A.22)
dqi /dt H/pi
The radian frequency for the periodic motion is
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 6
where the dots over quantities indicate their time derivatives. For such situ-
ations the action Ji is called an adiabatic invariant; it is often a very useful
approximate constant of the motion. When the#small variations in the poten-
tial oscillate at a slow frequency i >> a (1/a) 2a/t2 , harmonics of
this slower oscillation that are resonant with the fundamental oscillations (i.e.,
i = n a , n an integer) can lead to secular changes in the action Ji that grow
slowly in time. Hence they can break the constancy of the adiabatic invariant
over a long time period. This usually occurs when the slow oscillations exceed a
small critical amplitude (typically 0.1 of the main oscillations). The relevant
multiple time scale analysis and conditions for such breakdowns of adiabaticity
are discussed in E.6.
As an example of the use of mechanics theory, consider the central-force
problem of determining the scattering angle and elastic cross-section for a
Coulomb collision of two non-relativistic, charged particles. Assume a charged
particle of species s with charge qs , mass ms and initial velocity v experiences a
Coulomb collision (i.e., interaction via the Coulomb electric field force) with an-
other charged particle of species s# with parameters qs! , ms! and v# . Multiplying
the force balance equations obtained from (A.1) and (A.4) for each particle by
the mass of the other particle and subtracting, taking account of the equal and
oppositely directed electric field forces on the two particles due to the Coulomb
potential [qE = q, = q/({4+0 }|x|) see (A.33)], yields the equation
of motion for the two-particle system in the center-of-momentum coordinate
system:
d q s q s! 1
mss! (v v# ) = (A.27)
dt {4+0 } |x x# |
in which mss! = ms ms! /(ms + ms! ) is the reduced mass for the two particle
system.
Initially, when the particles are very far apart, one can define the impact
speed as u = |v v# | and the collision impact parameter as b (distance of closest
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 7
approach if the Coulomb electric field did not deflect the particles). Further,
one defines the classical (i.e., not quantum mechanical) minimum distance of
closest approach as
q s q s!
bcl
min , classical minimum impact parameter (A.28)
{4+0 }mss! u2
be expected to occur.
Since the collision takes place in a plane defined by the vectors x x# and
v v# , it is convenient to define instantaneous radial and angular coordinates
in the center-of-momentum frame by the radial separation of the particles r
|x x# | and by the angle that the line x x# makes with the line |x x# |
when the particles were initially very far apart. In these coordinates the angular
momentum p [constant because of symmetry of the Coulomb potential in the
direction see (A.19)] and total energy [constant because the potential
does not depend explicitly on time see (A.18)] can be written as
Solving the second (energy conservation) equation for r and dividing by the
obtained from the first equation yields
2
dr r
= r2 2 r bcl 2
min b ,
d b
where the sign is negative when the particles are approaching each other and
positive as they recede.
At the minimum or closest approach distance rm , dr/d = 0. The angle m
at this point is given by
+ $ cl %
dr b
m = = arctan min + .
rm dr/d b 2
bcl qs q s !
tan = min = , scattering angle. (A.29)
2 b {4+0 }mss! u2 b
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 8
A.2 Electrodynamics
An electrostatic theory is appropriate for time-independent charge density distri-
butions q (x), electric fields E(x), and magnetic induction fields B(x). In elec-
trostatics the irrotational (E = 0) electric field E with units of volts/meter
is written in terms of the scalar potential (x) with units of volts, E ,
and related to the charge density distribution:
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 9
D = free , D +0 E + P = +0 (1 + E ) E = + E (A.36)
in which A = 0 (the Coulomb gauge) has been assumed in the last form. For
localized current density distributions [lim|x| J(x) = 0], the general (Green-
function-type) solution for A in an infinite medium is [see also (??)]
3 4+ J(x# )
0
A(x) = d3x# # . (A.38)
4 |x x|
The magnetic field around an infinite wire carrying a current I (amperes) along
the z axis of a cylindrical coordinate system can obtained from this equation
using B = A and a current density J = ez (I/2r) lima0 (r a):
0 I
B =
e , magnetic field around a current-carrying wire. (A.39)
2r
To obtain the corresponding cgs form of this and other magnetic field response
equations, eliminate the {0 /4} factor and replace J by J/c, or replace 0 J
by 4J/c.
In a magnetizable medium the current density J is composed of a part Jfree
due to the current induced by free charges and a magnetization current den-
sity Jmag = M where M M H is the presumed linear and isotropic
magnetization (units of ampere-turns/meter) of the medium induced by the
magnetic field H (units of ampere-turns/meter) and M is the dimensionless
magnetic susceptibility of the medium:
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 10
H = 0 J, H = B/0 M, B = 0 (1 + M ) H = H (A.41)
Maxwell Equations
name
differential form integral form
Gauss law ++ +
q q
E = # dS E = d3x (A.41a)
+0 S V +0
Faradays law * ++
B
E = d" E = dS B (A.41b)
t C t S
no magnetic monopoles ++
B = 0 # dS B = 0 (A.41c)
S
Amperes law $ % * ++ $ %
E E
B = 0 J + +0 d" B = 0 dS J + +0 (A.41d)
t C S t
(A.42)
Here, +0 is the electric permittivity of free space which has units of farad/meter
= coulomb/(volt meter) = joule/(volt2 meter), 0 is the magnetic permeabil-
ity of free space which has units of henry/meter = weber/(ampere meter) =
weber2 /(joule meter) and 0 +0 = 1/c2 where c is the speed of light in free space.
Taking the divergence of Amperes law and making use of Gauss law yields
q
+ J = 0, continuity equation for charge and current. (A.43)
t
In Amperes law the displacement current +0 E/t was introduced by Maxwell
to make the electrodynamics equations consistent with the charge and current
continuity equation (A.43).
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 11
The physical significance of the source) 3 terms on the right of the integral
forms of the Maxwell equations
)) are: V
d x q Q, net charge (in coulombs)
within the volume
)) V ; S
dS B , magnetic flux (in webers) penetrating
the surface S; S dS J I, the total electric current (in amperes) flowing
through the surface S. The Maxwell equations are relativistically invariant; in
particular, they are invariant under Lorentz transformations, which preserve the
constancy of the speed of light, independent of the motion of the source, upon
transformation to another inertial rest frame.
The corresponding macroscopic Maxwell equations in an isotropic, polariz-
able, magnetizable medium are written in terms of D + E = +0 E + P and the
magnetic field H B/0 M, and free charge, current densities free , Jfree :
in which the energy densities in the electric and magnetic fields are defined by
1
wE (E D), electric field energy density (J/m3 ), (A.49)
2
1
wB (B H), magnetic field energy density (J/m3 ). (A.50)
2
A corresponding momentum conservation equation for electromagnetic fields
can be deduced, for situations where charge and current densities are present in
free space, from the microscopic Maxwell equations:
gem
+ Tem = q E + JB, em field momentum conservation, (A.51)
t
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 12
where
1
gem EB, momentum density in em fields, (A.52)
c2
! " ! "
|E|2 1 |B|2
Tem = +0 I EE + I BB em stress tensor, (A.53)
2 0 2
in which
1
A + = 0, Lorentz gauge condition, (A.57)
c t
which provides a constraint relation between the potentials, has been used. [If
the Coulomb gauge (A = 0) is used, the equations (A.56) are different.]
For a dielectric medium [i.e., a medium that is polarizable (q = P)
and magnetizable (J = M) but not significantly conducting which would
imply J = E], equations (A.56) become scalar wave equations of the form
$ %
2
2 + 2 u(x, t) = S(x, t), dielectric medium wave equation. (A.58)
t
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 13
Sinusoidal plane wave solutions of this equation are in general of the form
u(x, t) = u ei ,
k, ei(kxt) u Fourier plane wave Ansatz, (A.59)
k2 k 2 c2 kc
2 = = 2 = = , light waves in a dielectric, (A.60)
+ n n
in which
ck
n , index of refraction. (A.61)
The index of refraction is the ratio of the speed of light in vacuum to that in
the medium.
For a given k, , a point of constant wave phase in u(x, t), which is defined
by 0 = d/dt = k dx/dt k V , moves at
V
ek , wave phase velocity, (A.62)
k
in which ek k/k is the unit vector along k. The phase velocity for light waves
in a dielectric medium is the speed of light in the medium in the direction of
wave propagation (k): V = (c/n) ek . Since a steady, monochromatic (single
k, ) carrier wave carries no information, the wave phase speed can be greater
than the speed of light. A wave packet, which results from superposing waves
of different k, , carries information at
Vg = k (k), wave group velocity, (A.63)
k
whose magnitude must, by causality, be less than or equal to the speed of light.
For nondispersive media [n/k = 0 = n = n()], the group velocity is the
same as the phase velocity. Thus, the group velocity of light waves in typical
(nondispersive) dielectric media (e.g., water for visible light) is the same as their
phase velocity. Since plasmas are typically dispersive media for ranges of k, of
interest, the group velocities of waves in plasmas are often different from their
phase velocities.
The electric field for the most general homogeneous transverse (kE = 0)
plane wave propagating in the direction k can be represented by
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 14
The E+ |E+ |ei+ term represents a positive angular momentum and helicity
(left circularly polarized in optics2 ) wave that rotates (for decreasing phase
k x t + + at a fixed point in space) in theclockwise direction rel-
ative to the k direction since Re{E(x, t)+ } = (|E+ |/ 2)(#1 cos #2 sin ).
Conversely, the E term represents a negative angular momentum and helicity
(right circularly polarized) wave that rotates in the opposite direction. Circu-
larly polarized waves are represented by either E+ or E , depending on whether
they have positive or negative helicity. A wave is elliptically polarized if it has
both E+ and E components and they are dissimilar when E+ /E = 1,
one reverts to a linearly polarized wave.
Standard intermediate level textbooks for electrodynamics, or electricity and
magnetism as it has been called historically, are:
Reitz, Milford and Christy, Foundations of Electromagnetic Theory (1979) [?]
Lorrain, Corson and Lorrain, Electromagnetic Fields and Waves (??) [?]
Barger and Olsson, Classical Electricity and Magnetism: A Contemporary Per-
spective (1987) [?].
that would be seen by an observer facing into the oncoming wave. This direction of rotation
is opposite to the modern physics definition which is determined by the direction of rotation
relative to the wavevector k.
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 15
This result is applicable for adiabatic processes, i.e., ones that vary slowly com-
pared to the reversible inertial or oscillatory time scales. As an example of
an application of the Boltzmann relation, the gravitational potential near the
earths surface (q V = mgx) confines neutral molecules in the atmosphere
near the earths surface according to the law of atmospheres see (A.137).
In the absence of a potential, (A.68) becomes the Maxwell distribution func-
tion:
0 m 13/2 2
2
n0 ev /vT
2
volts, abbreviated eV, and the Boltzmann factor kB that usually multiplies the temperature
T in equations such as (A.67)(A.75) is usually omitted for simplicity.
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 16
#
in which vT 2T /m. The dependence of the Maxwellian distribution on
particle speed v is shown in Fig. A.1a. In spherical velocity-space coordinates
the normalized (by density) integral of the Maxwellian distribution over all
velocity space is [see (??)]
+ + +
fM (v) 4 dv v 2 v2 /vT2 4 2
d3v = e = dx x2 ex = 1. (A.71)
n0 0 vT vT2 0
Some of the characteristic speeds that can be deduced from the Maxwellian
distribution are (see Fig. A.1b):
#
vT = vmax 2T /m, thermal, most probable speed,
#
v = 8T /m = (2/ ) vT , average speed, (A.72)
# #
vrms = 3T /m = 3/2 vT , root mean square speed.
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 17
For a volume V of uniform density (i.e., n0 = 1/V ) monotonic gas, the entropy
is given by
s = ln V + (3/2) ln T + constant,
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 18
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 19
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 20
The functions (v) are sometimes called summational invariants because linear
combinations of them are also invariants of the collision operator.
For homogeneous (f = 0) gases in equilibrium (f / t = 0) with no
external forces on the molecules (F = 0), the kinetic equation (A.77) becomes
%
f
0 = = CB (f0 ), (A.83)
t c
where the subscript zero on f indicates the equilibrium or lowest order solution.
The general solution of this equation is
$ %3/2 2 2
m 2 n0 e|vV0 | /vT
f0 = fM (v) = n0 em|vV0 | /2T0
= ,
2T0 3/2 vT3
Maxwellian distribution. (A.84)
This Maxwellian differs from the statistical mechanics result in (A.70) only by
) 3explicit inclusion of the macroscopic flow velocity V0 of the gas (V0
its
d v vf0 /n0 ), which is not present in (A.70) because that result is obtained
in the rest frame of the gas (i.e., in the V0 rest frame). However, the result is
arrived at by different methodologies in statistical mechanics and kinetic theory.
Kinetic theory provides the more extendable framework for investigating more
complicated situations that do not satisfy the assumptions used in deriving
(A.70) and (A.84).
The Boltzmann collision operator also has the important property of irre-
versibility: entropy increases until the distribution function is given by (A.84).
)Specifically, taking the entropy functional to be f ln f and defining HB
d3v f ln f , it can be shown that
+ +
dHB f
= d3v (1 + ln f ) = d3v CB (f ) ln f 0,
dt t
Boltzmann H-theorem, (A.85)
with the equal sign being applicable only when f becomes equal to the equilib-
rium, Maxwellian distribution given in (A.84).
In situations close to thermodynamic equilibrium the lowest order distribu-
tion is the Maxwellian given by (A.84) and the distortions of the distribution
function are higher order and small. In order to understand he nature of these
distortions and to obtain approximate solutions of the kinetic equation (A.77)
for this situation, consider the expansion of the distribution in a combination of
Laguerre and Legendre polynominials (see Appendix B), which are the complete
2 2
orthogonal basis functions for speed (with the weighting function v 2 ev /vT that
comes from the lowest order Maxwellian distribution in spherical velocity space)
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 21
7 2 2
= flmn Ylm (, ) Ln(l+1/2) (v 2 /vT2 ) ev /vT
, moment expansion, (A.86)
lmn
in which the Pl (v/vT ) are Legendre polynomial (spherical velocity space an-
gular) functionals [ 1, v/vT , (vv (v 2 /3)I)/(2vT2 /3) for l = 0, 1, 2 ], the
(l+1/2)
Ln (x) are (energy functional) Laguerre polynomials with arguments x
mv 2 /2T = v 2 /vT2 , and Ylm (, ) are the usual spherical harmonics that are
proportional to Plm (cos) eim . Useful properties of these special functions are
given in B.5 and B.6. The lowest order parameters of this expansion, which
) (l+1/2)
are the d3v Pl (v/v) Ln moments of the distribution function, correspond
physically to: the density (m3 ), flow velocity (m/s) and temperature (eV)
distortions n, V and T away from their equilibrium Maxwellian values of
n0 , V0 and T0 ; the heat flow vector q (W/m2 ), since V1 2q/5nT ; and
the traceless anisotropic part (N/m2 ) of the pressure tensor [see (A.95) be-
low], which has 5 nonvanishing parameters and is sometimes called a kinetic
stress tensor. An approximation in which the moments n, V, T, q and
(= 1 + 3 + 1 + 3 + 5 = 13 moments) are used to represent f is usually called a
Grad 13 moment approximation.
Often one desires a reduced, fluid moment description which integrates the
kinetic equation over velocity space to obtain equations for the physical quan-
tities of density, flow velocity and temperature:
+
density (m3 ): n(x, t) = n0 + n d3v f, (A.87)
+
flow velocity (m/s): V(x, t) = V0 + V d3v v f /n, (A.88)
+
temperature (eV): T (x, t) = T0 + T d3v [m(v V2 )/3] f /n. (A.89)
The relevant fluid moment equations for these quantities are obtained by taking
the relevant velocity-space moments [i.e., the (v) in (A.82)] of the kinetic
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 22
equation in (A.77) using the Boltzmann collision operator in (A.81) and the
conservation properties in (A.82), to obtain
n
density equation: + nV = 0, (A.90)
t
dV p ,
momentum equation: mn = nF (A.91)
dt
3 dT
energy equation: n + pV = q : V, (A.92)
2 dt
where
d
+ V, total time derivative, (A.93)
dt t
is the total (partial plus flow-induced advection4 ) time derivative that is some-
times called the material derivative, and F is the average of the single particle
force F over a Maxwellian distribution. The higher order moments needed for
closure (complete specification) of these equations are
+ 0m 1
pressure (N/m2 ): p d3v |vr |2 f = n T, (A.94)
3
+ $ %
m 5T
conductive heat flux (W/m2 ): q d3v vr |vr |2 f, (A.95)
2 2
+ $ %
1
stress tensor (N/m2 ): d3v m vr vr |vr |2 I f, (A.96)
3
+
= d3v m vr vr f p I P p I
which is the usual Maxwellian, but now parameterized in terms of the (total)
spatially and temporally varying density, flow velocity and temperature. The
4 In fluid mechanics advection means transport of any quantity by the fluid at its flow
velocity V; convection refers only to the heat flow qconv = (5/2) n T V induced by V.
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 23
conductive heat flux q and anisotropic stress vanish for f0CE . Thus, in order
to determine these needed closure relations, it is necessary to determine the first
order distortion of the distribution function: f f f0CE . (Note that, by
construction, since the total density n flow velocity V and temperature T are
built into f0CE , the density, momentum and energy moments of f vanish:
+ + +
d3v f = 0, d3v mv f = 0, d3v (mv 2 /2) f = 0, C-E consraints.
(A.98)
The kinetic equation for f is obtained by substituting the definition f =
f0CE + f into (A.77), making use of the density, momentum and energy con-
servation equations to remove the dependences on n/ t, V/ t and T / t.
Neglecting higher order corrections that are inversely proportional to the colli-
sion frequency, the result is
!$ % $ % $ %"
m|vr |2 5 1 m |vr |2
CB (f ) ' vr T + W : vr vr I f0CE ,
2T 2 T T 3
(A.99)
in which, as above, vr v V(x, t), and
18 9 1
W V + (V)T I (V) , rate of strain tensor, (A.100)
2 3
which is caused by gradients in the flow velocity V and has units of per sec-
ond. The normalized temperature gradient ln T and rate-of-strain tensor W
are called thermodynamic forces because they induce distortions f of the
distribution function away from a dynamic Maxwellian and hence away from
thermodynamic equilibrium. Note that beacause of the invariants of the Boltz-
mann collision operator given in (A.82), a proper solution of (A.99) for f will
satisfy the Chapman-Enskog constraints in (A.98).
The Boltzmann collision operator needs to be specified in detail in order
to properly solve (A.99). However, the nature of the solution for f can be
exhibited by using an approximate collision model:
CK (f ) = f (f f0CE ), Krook-type collision operator
(A.101)
in which
n v, collision frequency, (A.102)
where the overbar indicates the reaction rate v has been averaged over a
Maxwellian distribution. Using this collision operator in (A.99), solving for
f and using the definitions in (A.95) and (A.96) yields the needed closure
(constituitive) relations for the fluid moment equations (A.90)(A.92):
5 vT2 5
q = m T, m n m , m = = 2 , conductive heat flux,
4 4
(A.103)
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 24
which is in the form of a Fourier law for the heat flux and
1 v2 1
= 2 m W, m = nm T = nm 2 , viscous stress, (A.104)
2 2
in which
vT /, collision mean free path, (A.105)
has been defined for thermal molecules. In these closure relations, is the
m
3 dT m 2
+ T (V) = m 2 T + 2 |W| . (A.107)
2 dt n
The diffusive components of these equations indicate that the molecular diffu-
sion coefficients for momentum (viscous) and heat diffusion are m /nm and m ,
both of which scale as 2 and have units of m2 /s. A physical interpretation of
the processes and parametric scalings that underly these diffusion coefficients
are given in the next section.
An equation can also be developed for the evolution of the collisional entropy
s which is dimensionless and is defined in kinetic theory for f ' f0CE by
+ $ 3/2 %
1 T
s d3v f ln f = ln + constant, collisional entropy. (A.108)
n n
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 25
Note that this entropy is the negative of the Boltzmann HB function [see (A.85)]
and yields the same result as that obtained from equilibrium statistical mechan-
ics [see (A.76)]. Taking the total time derivative of this equation yields, upon
substituting in (A.90) and (A.92),
! "
ds 3 dT dn (ns)
nT = n T = T + (nsV)
dt 2 dt dt t
= q :V, entropy evolution. (A.109)
Alternatively, since the flow of entropy density (entropy flux) is nsV + q/T ,
after using the density conservation relation (A.90) and the rate-of-strain tensor
definition (A.100),
where is 5/3 for the three-dimensional system being considered, but in general
is given by = (N + 2)/N in which N is the number of degrees of freedom in
the system. [In thermodynamics cP /cV is the ratio of the heat capacity
( u/T ) at constant pressure to that at constant volume.] Note that for a
constant density gas of volume V = 1/n, (A.112) becomes the familiar equation
of state for an ideal gas: pV = constant. The adiabatic or isentropic equation
of state can be used in place of the energy balance equation (A.92) or (A.107)
for studies of rapid, isentropic processes because there is no significant entropy
production or heat flow for such processes.
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 26
xn = xn1 + Rn x (A.113)
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 27
distribution peaked at the initial position x0 with a spatial spread that increases
with N and a peak magnitude that decreases with N see Fig. A.2.
To quantify the spatial spreading effect, and hence the width of the proba-
bility distribution, one uses the first form of (A.114) to calculate the square of
the difference of the final from the initial spatial position:
&N (2
7 N
7 7N N
7
(xN x0 )2 = (x)2 Rn = (x)2 Rn2 + Ri Rn . (A.116)
n=1 n=1 i=1 n'=i
In the limit of a large number N of random steps, the mean spread is given by
N N N
(xN x0 )2 1 7 2 7 7 N + O(1)
lim = lim Rn + Ri Rn = lim = 1,
N N (x) 2 N N N N
n=1 i=1 n'=i
(A.117)
because Rn2 = (1)2 = 1. Hence, the average square of the spatial spreading
after a large number N of random steps (or a time t = N t) will be given by
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 28
in which the density n(x) has been expanded in a Taylor series about x0 . Sim-
ilarly, the flux of molecules moving through the x = x0 plane to the left ()
is
+ ! ' ?
1 x0 +x dx x x dn ''
= n(x) = n(x0 ) + + .
2 x0 t 2t 2 dx 'x0
The net particle flux is the difference between these two fluxes:
'
dn ''
= + = D , Ficks diffusion law. (A.119)
dx 'x0
(x)2
D = , diffusion coefficient, (A.120)
2 t
which has units of m2 /s. Thus, the diffusion coefficient D is half the rate of
spatial spreading for a random walk process see (A.118).
The natural step size x for the motion of molecules between collisions in
a neutral gas is , the collision mean free path. The characteristic time t
between collisions of molecules is 1/. Thus, one infers from (A.120) that the
scaling of diffusivities induced by molecular collisions should be D 2 , which
was what was obtained in (A.103) and (A.104) in the preceding section. In a
monoatomic neutral gas there are heat and momentum diffusivities but there is
no particle diffusivity (or particle flux ) because, while two colliding molecules
exchange energy and momentum during the molecular collisions, the density of
molecules is usually unchanged as a result of the collisions.
In more realistic situations different molecules may have different x and
t values; then one must take an appropriate average and D = .(x)2 //(2t).
Since the parametric scaling of the diffusion coefficient is quite general, but ap-
propriate averages are often difficult to formulate or evaluate for various physical
processes, the expression for D in (A.120) is mostly used to infer the scaling
of the diffusion coefficient with physical parameters. Then, kinetic calculations
are used to obtain the relevant numerical coefficients the headache factors.
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 29
In this form one readily sees from (??) that in the t 0 limit the solution
becomes a delta function (see Section B.2) at x = x0 : limt0 n(x, t)=N (x
x0 ), which was the initial condition. Also, in terms of the root mean square
spatial spread becomes simply
0 11/2 @
t
xrms (x x0 ) 2 = 2Dt = = x = x N ,
2 t
root mean square spatial spread. (A.125)
The last result shows that, as indicated in Fig. A.2, the spatial spreading is
proportional to the square root of the number of random walk steps.
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 30
Using these formulas, note also that the average time t required for molecules
to diffuse a distance x x x0 from the initial position x0 is
$ %2
(x)2 x
t t, time to diffuse a distance x. (A.126)
2D x
Hence, the time t required to diffuse a short distance x is the product of the ba-
sic random walk time t times (x/x)2 the square of the number of random
walk steps x in the distance x to be traversed. This quadratic dependence
of the spreading time on the spreading distance is an intrinsic property of dif-
fusive processes. As a caveat on this analysis, note that the solution (A.122)
is only valid for short times: t < L2n /D (Ln /x)2 t so the background
medium density
and diffusion
# coefficient are reasonably constant over the dis-
tance / 2 = 2Dt = x t/t that typical particles spread over in the time
t [i.e., (/n)(dn/dx) /Ln << 1 and (/D)(dD/dx) << 1].
In a finite box, as time progresses molecules eventually diffuse to the bound-
aries of the box where it will be assumed the molecules are absorbed. The
question then becomes: what is the average confinement time for molecules in
the box? Assume for simplicity that: the diffusion coefficient is constant in
space; a one-dimensional treatment is sufficient; N molecules are inserted at
the center (x = 0) of a box of width 2L (assumed >> x = ) at time t = 0;
and the density of molecules vanishes at the box boundaries (x = L). Then,
the solution of the diffusion equation (A.121) for this boundary value problem
can be shown (by separation of variables, expansion in sinusoidal eigenfunctions)
to be
N 7 t/j 0 x1 (2j + 1) L2
n(x, t) = e cos j , with j , j 2 . (A.127)
L j=0 L 2 j D
t>0 N t/0 0 x 1
n(x, t) ' e cos . (A.128)
L 2L
Thus, an average confinement time for molecules in the box can be identified
as
L2 L2 L2
0 = ' , confinement time. (A.129)
2
0 D (/2) D
2 2.5D
Note that upon using D = (x)2 /2t one obtains 0 = (2/20 )(L/x)2 t,
which quantifies (for this specific case where x L, t 0 ) the headache
factors in the scaling relation (A.126). For cylindrical, spherical boxes the
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 31
eigenfunctions are Bessel, spherical Bessel functions and the lowest order eigen-
values are 0 ' 2.405, 0 = , respectively. Then, using a as the radius of the
box, one obtains confinement times of 0 ' a2 /6D, a2 /10D for cylindrical,
spherical systems, respectively.
Many of the references noted at the end of the two preceding sections have
discussions of random walk (Brownian motion) and stochastic diffusion pro-
cesses. The classic and ageless reference for such processes is:
S. Chandrasekhar, Stochastic Problems in Physics and Astronomy, Rev. Mod.
Phys. 15, 1 (1943). [?]
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 32
0 = m0 VG p0 .
T dm0
0 = m0 g = m0 (x) = m0 (0) emgx/T ,
m dx
law of atmospheres. (A.137)
Thus, in equilibrium the density of air decreases with distance above the surface
of the earth on a scale length of T /mg = vT2 /2g 104 m.
To exhibit the properties of sound waves consider perturbations of the com-
pressible air in this equilibrium:
m = m0 + m ,
V = V, p = p0 + p, perturbed equilibrium, (A.138)
in which the tilde over a quantity indicates the perturbation in that quantity.
Substituting these forms into the fluid equations (A.130)(A.132) yields, upon
neglecting the effect of gravity for simplicity and linearizing the equations (i.e.,
neglecting all quantities that are quadratic or higher order in the perturbations):
m
V
+ V
+ m0 V m0 = 0, m0 =
p + m 2 V, p = cH
2
m
S
t t
where
# #
cH
S p0 /m0 = T /m, hydrodynamic sound speed, (A.139)
which is typically
# about 340 m/s at the earths surface. Note that for a neutral
gas cH
S = /2 vT . For an equilibrium that is approximately homogeneous
over the collision mean free path ( | ln m0 | << 1), a perturbed density
5 A physical example of vorticity is the circular flow of water around a drain in a bathtub
as it is being emptied.
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 33
but longer scale than the collision mean free path (typically 107 m for air at
2
the earths surface) so the viscosity can be neglected (i.e., cH
S /g 10 m >>
4
2 m 2 2
cH
S m = 0, sound wave equation. (A.140)
t2
Thus, density perturbations compress (V < 0) and rarefy (V > 0) the
fluid as they propagate through it adiabatically (with negligible entropy pro-
duction) at the sound speed cH S defined in (A.139).
To exhibit the properties of the most fundamental type of fluid instabilities,
the Rayleigh-Taylor (R-T) instabilities, consider perturbations of nearly incom-
pressible liquids, in a case where a heavy liquid is above a lighter liquid and
the two fluids are immiscible. For incompressible (V 0) perturbations the
linearized continuity equation becomes
m
= V m0 , advective response, (A.141)
t
which indicates the change in local mass density caused by a perturbed flow
in the direction of the gradient in the equilibrium mass density. Combining
this advective response with the partial time derivative of the linearized Navier-
Stokes equation yields
2V 0 1 p
m0 2 = V m0 VG .
t t
Taking the curl of this equation to eliminate the perturbed pressure gradient and
hence the coupling to sound waves, and neglecting gradients in the equilibrium
compared to those in the perturbations (m0 V >> m0 V) and viscosity
effects (valid for perturbation scale lengths long compared to the collision mean
free path ), yields for the perturbed flow vorticity V:
2 0 1
m0 2 = V m0 VG .
t
Considering a coordinate system where x is directed vertically upward and y, z
are in a plane parallel to the earths surface, and assuming wavelike pertur-
bations of the type V = C = ez Cz , in which C = Cz
ez , Cz
exp(ikx it) with kx << ky is a stream function [see (??,??)], so that
=
ez 2 Cz '
ez ky2 Cz , yields an equation for the perturbation frequency:
2 ' VG ln m0 = g m . (A.142)
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 34
* ++
dCK d d
d" V = dS V
dt dt dt S
++ C ++
= dS [(/t + V) (V)] + (dS/dt) V
S S
++
= dS {(V/t) [V (V)]}
++S
= dS [/t (V)] (A.144)
S
in which use has been made of Stokes theorem (??), S is the open surface
bounded by the closed curve C that moves with the encompassed fluid, dS/dt =
(V)dS V dS [see (??)], and the vector identity in (??) has been used.
Dividing the Navier-Stokes equation (A.131) with a conservative force F by m
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 35
and taking its curl to obtain an equation for V/t yields, after making
use of (??):
++ $ ! " %
dCK 1 m m 2
= dS m p (V) + V . (A.145)
dt S 2m 3 m
These equations are obtained by taking the curl of (A.131), which eliminates the
coupling to sound waves, and assuming for simplicity that the mass density is
constant. The (V) term in (A.147) represents the advection of the vor-
ticity vector by the flow velocity V as indicated by the last line of (A.144).
The V term on the right of (A.148) represents vortex tube stretching by
gradients in the velocity flow; it vanishes for two-dimensional flows. In three-
dimensional flows the vortex tube stretching term reduces the area of a vortex
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 36
but also increases its vorticity to keep the vorticity flux CK constant as
required by Kelvins circulation theorem.
The ratio of the nonlinear advection of vorticity [(V), a nonlinear
inertia term] to the viscous dissipation of vorticity (m 2 ) is
(V) m0 V0 L0
Re = , Reynolds number, (A.149)
( /m )
m 2 m
in which V0 , L0 are typical flow speeds and gradient scale lengths in the fluid.
When the vorticity evolution equation is written in terms of dimensionless vari-
ables, the reciprocal of the Reynolds number is the only dimensionless parameter
in the equation as the coefficient of the viscous dissipation term. For example,
for incompressible flows (i.e., ones that do not excite sound waves and are dom-
inated by vorticies), Eq. (A.147) can be written in terms of the dimensionless
V/V0 , and
variables t (V0 /L0 )t, V L0 as
1 2
= (V) + . (A.150)
t Re
Thus, all incompressible flows with the same Reynolds number and the same flow
geometry will have the same flow properties. At low Reynolds numbers (Re < 1)
the flow is laminar. For not too large Reynolds numbers vortex structures
induced by the particular geometrical situation (e.g., flow past a fixed body)
tend to dominate the flow pattern. For high Reynolds numbers (Re > 103 ) the
nonlinear vorticity advection overwhelms the viscous dissipation and the flow
becomes turbulent.
In fully developed turbulence (Re >> 103 ) there is a cascade of energy
from macroscopically-induced large-scale vortices through nonlinear interactions
of turbulent eddies of successively smaller dimensions until the scale lengths
become so small that the energy in the eddies is viscously dissipated. (The
effective Reynolds number is close to unity for the dissipative scale eddies.)
Since the dominant eddy interaction term is the vortex stretching term V in
(A.148), successive generations of the turbulent eddies become longer, thinner
and have larger vorticities. Thus, the mean square vorticity, which is known as
the enstrophy ( ||2 ), increases during the cascade.
For sufficiently large Reynolds numbers there is a large inertial range of
spatial scale lengths for which the vortex interactions are predominantly non-
linear (i.e., where the large-scale stirring and small-scale viscous dissipation
effects are negligible). In the inertial range the turbulent eddies are self-similar
(i.e., of the same structure, independent of scale size, from one generation to the
next one). The energy flow per unit mass = (V)(V 2 /2) from one wavenum-
ber range k to the next smaller one can be estimated by k kVk3 Vk2 /k
in which k (kVk )1 is the turbulent decorrelation or eddy turnover time
at a given k. Since energy is input via stirring at large scales and dissi-
pated at small scales, in steady-state the energy transfer rate from one scale
to the next smaller one in the inertial range must be nearly constant. Thus,
k ' V03 /L0 , a constant for a given externally driven situation, and hence
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 37
which is the Kolomogorov spectrum for turbulence within a large inertial range.
The successively smaller scale eddies have smaller velocities and energies, but
larger vorticity and faster turnover rates [k (kVk )1 ( k 2 )1/3 ] to keep
the energy flow rate in k-space constant.
In the inertial range the turbulent eddies lose their momentum on a mixing
length scale k Vk k 1/k. This leads to a Prandtl mixing length esti-
mate for the effective diffusion coefficient [cf., (A.120)] for turbulent viscosity
in the fluid of Deff eff /m 2k /k /k 4/3 . However, this turbu-
1/4
Because the effects of viscosity are negligible in the inertial range and because
the viscous dissipation scale length is so short [kd1 L0 /(Re)3/4 << L0 ], it
is tempting to neglect it entirely. However, while its effects can be neglected
for inertial range scale lengths (1/L0 << k << kd ), it must be retained in
general because it: 1) increases the order of the differential equation governing
vorticity; 2) is important in boundary layers near material objects and other
nearby vortices; and, 3) most importantly for computer simulation, provides
the only energy sink (at high k) for turbulent fluctuations in a neutral fluid.
Most of the previously noted standard textbooks on mechanics, statistical
mechanics and kinetic theory of gases contain introductory or intermediate level
descriptions of fluid mechanics. Advanced level monographs and textbooks that
specifically deal with fluid mechanics include:
Batchelor, Introduction to Fluid Dynamics (1967) [?]
Tennekus and Lumley, A First Course in Turbulence (1972) [?].
This relation shows the limit of applicability of mechanical causality. The un-
certainty principle holds for any pair of canonically conjugate variables. Thus,
it applies for energy and time, which for conservative systems are canonically
conjugate variables (p = H = and q = t), as well:
t h. (A.152)
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 38
e2
= me a0 02 .
{4+0 }a20
(h/2)2
a0 = {4+0 } ' 0.5291010 m, Bohr radius. (A.154)
me e2
This is the characteristic scale length for the size of all atoms the range
over which their electrostatic force field extends. The corresponding range over
which nuclear forces extend is
e2
re = ' 2.821015 m, classical electron radius, (A.155)
{4+0 }me c2
which is inferred from equating the electric potential energy e2 /({4+0 }re )
from a distributed electron charge to the electron rest mass energy me c2 .
The binding energy of an electron in a Bohr atom in its ground (lowest
energy) state is given by the (negative of the) potential energy of the electron
when it is located at the Bohr radius from the proton plus the kinetic energy of
the electron:
e2 me 2 2 1 me e4
H
E = a0 0 = ' 13.6 eV,
{4+0 }a0 2 {4+0 }2 2(h/2)2
Bohr atom binding energy, (A.156)
which is also called the Rydberg energy. For electrons in the nth quantum
state the orbit radius increases by a factor of n2 and the rotation frequency
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 39
Note that for a nucleus with a high atomic number Z the binding energy of
the most tightly bound (n = 1, ground state) electron, which is the last one
to be removed as an atom is ionized, can be very large. For example, for iron
(Z = 26) the binding energy of the last electron is 9 keV while for tungsten
(Z = 74) it is 75 keV.
The degree of ionization in a plasma can be estimated from the Saha equation
which gives the population density of a particular ionization and quantum state
of an atom in a gas in thermodynamic equilibrium. It can be obtained by equat-
ing the rates of ionization [ nn exp(Ui /Te )] and recombination [ ni (ne 3h )]
for ions in a partially ionized gas:
$ %3/2
ni 2 2me Te ne 3De
' eUi /Te = 25/2 eUi /Te
nn ne h 2 (ne a30 )1/2
6 1027 3/2
' [Te (eV)] eUi /Te , Saha equation, (A.158)
ne (m3 )
in which ne , ni and nn are the electron, ion and neutral density, respectively,
Ui is the ionization potential and Te is the temperature in electron volts of the
assumed Maxwellian distribution of electrons. The ionization potential Ui for
ionization of an atom from its ground (neutral) state to the first ionized state
is given by the electron binding energy in the atom [cf., Eq. (A.157)]. It ranges
from 3.9 eV for Cesium atoms to 24.6 eV for Helium.
The fractional ionization [ ni /(nn + ni )] is exponentially small for electron
temperatures Te much lower than the ionization potential Ui . The electron
temperature required to attain a small degree of ionization ( ni /nn << 1) can
be estimated by solving the Saha equation iteratively for Te :
Ui
Te |ion ' $ % (0.021) Ui , (A.159)
6 1027 [Te (eV)]3/2
ln
(ni /nn ) ne (m3 )
where in the last form the smallest number correponds to interplanetary densi-
ties ( 106 m3 ) and the largest to solid densities ( 1029 m3 ). The Te required
to produce a fully ionized state (ni /nn >> 1) is not much larger. Thus, for ex-
ample, a nitrogen gas (Ui = 14.5 eV) at a density of 2.5 1025 m3 (the density
of room temperature air) becomes 1% ionized at Te ' 1.4 eV, and fully ionized
> 2.2 eV. At lower densities the electron temperature range over which
for Te
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 40
the transition from a partially to fully ionized gas takes place is even narrower.
For some examples of the variation with electron density of the Te required for
complete ionization, see Fig. ?? at the end of Chapter 1.
Note however that the ions might not be fully stripped of their electrons. In
particular, for Te 0.110 keV, high Z ions might not be fully stripped because
of the very large binding energy of their most tightly bound electrons. Such
ions would have an ion charge Zi < Z.
Some standard introductory level quantum mechanics textbooks are:
Krane, Modern Physics ( ) [?]
Sproul and Phillips, Modern Physics ( ) [?]
Tipler, Modern Physics ( ) [?]
Gasiorowicz, Quantum Physics ( ) [?]
Powell and Crasemann, Quantum Mechanics ( ) [?].
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 41
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICS EQUATIONS, UNITS, AND CONSTANTS 42
Particle Masses
9 The unified atomic mass unit = 1.660 540 2 1027 kg (0.59 106 relative error) =
931.494 32 MeV (0.30 107 relative error). Note also that Avogadros constant NA 1/u.
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APPENDIX B. SPECIAL FUNCTIONS 1
Appendix B
Special Functions
Key properties of special functions as they are often used in plasma physics are
summarized in this appendix.
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APPENDIX B. SPECIAL FUNCTIONS 2
Figure B.1: Schematic of x dependence of the Heaviside step function and Dirac
delta function.
(x x0 ) = 0 for x #= x0 ,
" b !
f (x0 ), a < x0 < b,
dx f (x) (x x0 ) = (B.3)
a 0, otherwise,
for any function f (x) that is continuous at x = x0 . Thus, the delta function
is zero except at the point where its argument vanishes; there it is so large
(i.e., singular) that the integral of it over that point (its area) is unity [i.e., for
#b
f (x) = 1 we have a dx (x x0 ) = 1]. Note that hence the delta function has
units of one over the units of its argument.
The delta function is a mathematically improper function because it is
unbounded where its argument vanishes. However, it is a generalized function
whose integral can be defined through a limiting process in distribution theory.
Specifically, for a unity area distribution function w(x), one defines a delta
sequence w(x; ) which becomes progressively more peaked (height 1/)
and narrower (width ) in the limit that 0 such that it becomes a unit
area spike. In terms of such a delta sequence, one defines
" b " b
dx (x) f (x) lim dx w(x; ) f (x) = f (0). (B.4)
a 0 a
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APPENDIX B. SPECIAL FUNCTIONS 3
sin(x/)
wC (x; ) = . (B.8)
x
Basic properties of delta functions include
(x0 x) = (x x0 ), (B.9)
f (x) (x x0 ) = f (x0 ) (x x0 ), x (x) = 0, (B.10)
" b
dx (x x0 ) (x x1 ) = (x0 x1 ) for a < x0 , x1 < b, (B.11)
a
1
(x2 x20 ) = [(x x0 ) + (x + x0 )] , and (B.12)
2 |x0 |
$ (x xi ) 1
[f (x)] = , (ax) = (a). (B.13)
i
|df /dx| xi |a|
in which xi are the (assumed) simple zeros of f [i.e., f (xi ) = 0]. The derivative
of a delta function is a couple, which is a positive spike followed by a negative
spike. It can be integrated by parts to yield
" b
dx f (x) ! (x x0 ) = f ! (x0 ), (B.14)
a
where the prime denotes differentiation with respect to the argument. The effect
of the j th derivative of a delta function can be calculated by integrating by parts
j times:
" b
dx f (x) (j) (x x0 ) = (1)j f (j) (x0 ). (B.15)
a
Differentiation properties of delta functions are
(x x0 ) = (x x0 ), (B.16)
x x0
d d[x] dx(t) dx(t)
[x(t)] = ! . (B.17)
dt dx dt dt
For more than one dimension one simply takes products of delta functions
in the various directions. Thus, a delta function at the point x0 (x0 , y0 , z0 )
in three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate space is written as
(x x0 ) (x x0 ) (y y0 ) (z z0 ), Cartesian. (B.18)
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APPENDIX B. SPECIAL FUNCTIONS 4
(r r0 ) ( 0 ) (z z0 )
(x x0 ) = , cylindrical, (B.19)
r
(r r0 ) ( 0 ) ( 0 )
(x x0 ) = , spherical. (B.20)
r2 | sin |
Some key summations, integrals and differentials that result in delta func-
tions are
$
einx = 2 (x), (B.22)
n=
"
dk eikx = 2 (x), (B.23)
"
d3k eikx = (2)3 (x), (B.24)
1
2 = 4 (x x0 ). (B.25)
|x x0 |
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APPENDIX B. SPECIAL FUNCTIONS 5
Figure B.2: Behavior of the plasma dispersion function Z(w) and its derivative
Z ! (w) as a function of wR Re(w). In the figures on the left the wR depen-
dences of the real (subscript R) and imaginary (subscript I) parts of Z and Z !
are shown for Im(w) = 0 by solid and dashed lines, respectively. Corresponding
polar plots are shown on the right, which also indicate the behavior for selected
values of Im(w) wI .
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APPENDIX B. SPECIAL FUNCTIONS 6
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APPENDIX B. SPECIAL FUNCTIONS 7
n
(e ) = (1)n eu Hn (u),
du
it is clear that the nth derivative of Z(w) can be written as
" 2
dn Z(w) (1)n Hn (u) eu
= du . (B.40)
dwn uw
Now, any power of the variable u can be expressed in terms of a series of Hermite
polynomials with orders up to and including the power of u through the relation
M
1 $
u = n
n
dm (n) Hn2m (u), (B.41)
2 m=0
in which dm (n) are the coefficients given in Table 22.12 of Abromowitz and
Stegun [?] and the upper limit of the sum is M [n/2], the largest integer less
than or equal to n/2. Substituting (B.41) into (B.39) and utilizing (B.40) yields
[n/2]
1 $ dn2m Z(w)
Zn (w) = (1)n2m
d m (n) .
2n m=0 dwn2m
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APPENDIX B. SPECIAL FUNCTIONS 8
Figure B.3: Variation of the basic and modified Bessel functions with their
arguments.
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"J.D Callen, Fundamentals of Plasma Physics
APPENDIX B. SPECIAL FUNCTIONS 9
netic field is
$
eiz sin = Jn (z) ein . (B.54)
n=
Multiplying (B.55) by cos and then integrating over and using (B.48) gives
$
0= n Jn2 (z). (B.57)
n=
1 $ ! 2
= (Jn ) , (B.59)
2 n
z2 $
= n2 Jn2 . (B.60)
2 n
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"J.D Callen, Fundamentals of Plasma Physics
APPENDIX B. SPECIAL FUNCTIONS 10
z2 z4
J0 (z) = 1 + , (B.68)
4 64
z z3
J1 (z) = J0! (z) = + , (B.69)
2 16
3z 2
ez I0 (z) = 1 z + , (B.70)
4
z z2 5z 3
ez I1 (z) = + . (B.71)
2 2 16
Asymptotic expansions for large arguments compared to the order (|z| >> n)
are
2 ! 0 * +3
2 n 1 1
Jn (z) cos z +O , (B.72)
z 2 4 |z|
! * + 3
1 4n2 1 1
ez In (z) 1 +O . (B.73)
2z 8z |z|2
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APPENDIX B. SPECIAL FUNCTIONS 11
velocity space see (??). Legendre polynomials are governed by the differential
equation ( cos )
. /
d 2 dPl ()
(1 ) + l(l + 1) Pl () = 0 (B.74)
d d
in which the upper limit of the sum is M [l/2], the largest integer less than
or equal to l/2. The lowest order Legendre polynomials are
dPl ()
l Pl () l Pl1 () = ( 2 1) . (B.79)
d
The orthgonality and values of relevant angular integrals of products of Legendre
polynomials are given in (??). A useful expansion of a delta function in terms
of Legendre polynomials is
$
( 0 ) = Pl () Pl (0 ). (B.80)
l=0
dn 0 x n+l+1/2 1
n
$ (n + l + 3/2) (x)m ex
L(l+1/2) (x) = = e x
n
m=0
m! (n m)! (m + l + 3/2) n! xl+1/2 dxn
(B.81)
in which (x mv 2 /2T = v 2 /vT2 ) is the normalized kinetic energy variable and
l is the integer subscript of the (Legendre) polynomial expansion in spherical
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APPENDIX B. SPECIAL FUNCTIONS 12
REFERENCES
Some general compendia of properties of special functions are:
Abromowitz and Stegun, Handbook of Mathematical Functions (1965) [?]
Magnus, Oberhettinger and Soni, Formulas and Theorems for the Special Func-
tions of Mathematical Physics (1966) [?]
Jahnke and Emde, Table of Functions (1945) [?].
DRAFT 22:15
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APPENDIX C. USEFUL DEFINITE INTEGRALS 1
Appendix C
Definite integrals that often arise in plasma physics are summarized in this
appendix.
For z = 1/2, using the substitution x = u2 the gamma function becomes the
integral of a Gaussian distribution over an infinite domain:
!
2
( 12 ) = 2 du eu = . (C.5)
0
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APPENDIX C. USEFUL DEFINITE INTEGRALS 2
When the argument of the gamma function is a positive integer (z n > 0),
the gamma function simplifies to a factorial function:
Using this factorial form for the gamma function, one thus finds that
!
dt tn et/ = n+1 n!, for n = 0, 1, 2, , (C.7)
0
using the usual convention that 0! 1. The first few of these integrals are
!
1
!
1
1
dt
t/ et/
= dx x ex
= 1 . (C.8)
0 2 2 0
2
t / x 2
(n + 12 ) = (n 12 ) (n 12 ) = (n 12 )(n 32 ) (n 32 )
= [(2n 1)(2n 3) 1] ( 12 ) / 2n (2n 1)!! / 2n .
(C.9)
The integrals for the first few even m [for which (m + 1)/2 becomes a half
integer and (C.9) applies] are
!
1
!
1 1
dv v 2 /vT
2
u2
2
v /vT 2
e = du u 2
e = 1/2 .
0 vT
4 4 0
4 2
v /vT u 3/4
(C.12)
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APPENDIX C. USEFUL DEFINITE INTEGRALS 3
The integrals for the first few odd m [for which (m + 1)/2 becomes an integer
and (C.6) applies] are
!
dv
v/vT 2 2
!
u 2
1/2
v 3 /vT3 ev /vT = du u3 eu = 1/2 . (C.13)
0 vT
5 5 0
5
v /vT u 1
in which x v 2 /vT2 = mv 2 /2T , and nn! is the Kronecker delta, which is unity
for n = n# and vanishes if n (= n# . The lowest order (n = 0, 1, 2 and l = 0, 1, 2)
integrals of interest are
(1/2) 1/2 1/2
! [L0 ]2 [L1 ]2 [L2 ]2
dx x1/2 ex (3/2) 2
x[L0 ] x[L1 ]2 x[L2 ]2
(3/2) (3/2)
0
(5/2) 2 (5/2) 2 (5/2) 2
x2 [L0 ] x2 [L1 ] x2 [L2 ]
(C.15)
1 3/2 15/4
= 3/2 15/4 105/8 .
2
15/8 105/16 945/32
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APPENDIX C. USEFUL DEFINITE INTEGRALS 4
in which ll! is the Kronecker delta function which is unity if the indices are
equal and zero otherwise. The first few of these nonvanishing integrals are
2
! 1 P0 ! 1 1 2
d P12 d(cos ) cos2 = 2/3 . (C.27)
1 P2 2 1 (3 cos 1) /4
2 2
2/5
REFERENCES
A limited but very useful table of integrals is:
Dwight, Tables of Integrals and Other Mathematical Data (1964) [?]
DRAFT 10:50
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APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 1
Appendix D
Vector Analysis
The following conventions are used in this appendix and throughout the book:
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APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 2
Dot product:
A B = 0 implies A = 0 or B = 0, or A B (D.8)
A B = B A, commutative dot product (D.9)
A (B + C) = A B + A C, distributive dot product (D.10)
(f A) (gB) = f g(A B), associative scalar, dot product (D.11)
Cross product:
AB = 0 implies A = 0 or B = 0, or A # B (D.12)
AB = BA, AA = 0, anti-commutative cross product (D.13)
A(B + C) = AB + AC, distributive cross product (D.14)
(f A)(gB) = f g(AB), associative scalar, cross product (D.15)
Scalar relations:
Vector relations:
I : AB (I A) B = A B (D.27)
AB : CD A (B C)D = (B C)(A D)
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APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 3
dot!product cross!product
B {
{
A A
dot-cross!product
{
C
Figure D.1: Schematic illustration of dot, cross and dot-cross products of vec-
tors.
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%J.D Callen, Fundamentals of Plasma Physics
APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 4
= D AB C = B CD A (D.28)
I : T = tr(T), T : T |T| 2
(D.29)
T : AB = (T A) B = B T A (D.30)
AB : T = A (B T) = B T A (D.31)
BT : W = (T W)T : BI (D.32)
Vector relations:
IA = AI = A (D.33)
A TT = T A, TT A = A T (D.34)
A (CB BC) = A(BC)
= B(A C) C(A B), bac cab rule (D.35)
(AC) T = A (CT) = C (AT) (D.36)
T (AC) = (TA) C = (TC) A (D.37)
A (TC) = (A T)C = C(A T) (D.38)
(AT) C = A(T C) = (T C)A (D.39)
A (TC) C (TA) = [I tr(T) T] (AC) (D.40)
(AT) C (CT) A = (AC) [I tr(T) T] (D.41)
Tensor relations:
D.3 Derivatives
Temporal derivatives:
dA
is a vector tangent to the curve defined byA(t) (D.52)
dt
d df dA
(f A) = A + f (D.53)
dt dt dt
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APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 5
d dA dB
(A + B) = + (D.54)
dt dt dt
d dA dB
(A B) = B+A (D.55)
dt dt dt
d dA dB
(AB) = B + A (D.56)
dt dt dt
Definitions of partial derivatives in space ( /x = del or nabla is the
differential vector operator):
f
f , gradient of scalar function f , a vector vector in direction
x
of and measure of the greatest rate of spatial change of f (D.57)
A A, divergence of vector function A, a scalar
x
divergence ( A > 0) or convergence ( A < 0) of A lines (D.58)
A A, curl (or rotation) of vector function A, a vector1
x
vorticity of A lines (D.59)
!
ex + y
For the general vector coordinate x x ey + z
ez and |x| x2 + y 2 + z 2 :
vectors because they are anti-symmetric contractions of second rank tensors see tensor
references at end of this appendix.
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APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 6
(f + g) = f + g (D.68)
(f g) = (f )g + f g = (gf ) (D.69)
(f A) = (f )A + f A (D.70)
f A = f A + f A (D.71)
f A = f A + f A (D.72)
f T = f T + f T (D.73)
f T = f T + f T (D.74)
(A + B) = A + B (D.75)
(AB) = B A A B (D.76)
(B )(A C) = C (B )A + A (B )C
CB : A + AB : C (D.77)
A B C C B A (CA AC) : B = (AC) B (D.78)
2A B C 2CA : B = A (B C) + C (B A)
B (A C) + (BC) (A)
+ (BA) (C) + (AC) (B) (D.79)
I : B = B (D.80)
AI : B = A B (D.81)
A T = (A T) A : T = (A T) T : A (D.82)
(A + B) = A + B (D.83)
(A B) = A(B) + B(A) + (A )B + (B )A
= (A) B + (B) A (D.84)
(B /2) (B B/2) = B(B) + (B )B = (B) B
2
(D.85)
(B )(AC) = (B )AC + A(B )C (D.86)
AB = ( A)B + (A )B = ( A)B + A (B) (D.87)
I = 0 (D.88)
(IA) = A (D.89)
A(B) = (B) A A (B) = (B) A (A )B (D.90)
(AB) = A( B) B( A) + (B )A (A )B
= (BA AB) (D.91)
A BC + CB A = C[A(B)] (D.92)
A BC C BA = [( B)I B] (AC) (D.93)
AB C CB A = (AC) [( B)I B] (D.94)
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APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 7
I B = B, B I = B (D.95)
AB = (A)B AB (D.96)
(AB) = AB BA (D.97)
AB + BA
= I[( B)A (B) A] + [A (B)]I A(B)
= I[( B)A A (B)] + [A (B)]I (B)A (D.98)
BA + (AB)T = [A (B)]I A(B) (D.99)
AB + (BA)T = [A (B)]I (B)A (D.100)
AB (AB)T = I[( B)A (B) A] (D.101)
BA (BA)T = [( B)A A (B)]I (D.102)
f 2 f (D.103)
f = 0 (D.104)
f g = 0 (D.105)
A 2 A = ( A) (A) (D.106)
A = 0 (D.107)
(B )A = (B )( A) (A) (B) (D.108)
[(A )A]
= (A )(A) + ( A)(A) [(A) ]A (D.109)
B/B, A = A! b
Derivatives of projections of A in B direction [b + A ,
A, A b(
A! b bA),
)b
(b = b(
]:
b)
D.4 Integrals
For a volume V enclosed by a closed, continuous surface S with differential
volume element d3x and differential surface element dS n
dS where n
is the
unit normal outward from the volume V , for well-behaved functions f, g, A, B
and T:
" ""
d3x f = % dS f, (D.114)
V S
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APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 8
" ""
d x A = % dS A,
3
divergence or Gauss theorem, (D.115)
"V "" S
d3x T = % dS T, (D.116)
"V ""S
d x A = % dSA,
3
(D.117)
"V " S ""
d x f g =
3 2
d x f g + % dS f g,
3
V V S
Greens first identity, (D.118)
" ""
d3x (f 2 g g2 f ) = % dS (f g gf ),
V S
Greens second identity, (D.119)
"
d3x [A (B) B (A)]
V
""
= % dS [B(A) A(B)],
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%J.D Callen, Fundamentals of Plasma Physics
APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 9
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APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 10
e = ,
B = = || stream function form.
(D.137)
For this situation the vector potential becomes
A = = ||
e . (D.138)
In this representation and are stream functions that are constant along the
vector field B since B = 0 and B = 0.
d2 x
db
= )b
= (b = b(
b), curvature vector (D.141)
d) 2 d)
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APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 11
in which (D.85) has been used in the obtaining the last expression. The unit
vector in the curvature vector direction is defined by
)b
(b
/ |(b
)b|,
curvature unit vector. (D.142)
The local radius of curvature vector RC is in the opposite direction from the
curvature vector and is defined by
RC /||2 , = RC /RC
2
, radius of curvature. (D.143)
T b, N and
B N,
N = b
T Frenet unit vector triad (D.144)
in which B is the binormal unit vector, the third orthogonal unit vector. The
component of a vector C in the direction of the vector field B is called the
parallel component: C! TC = b C. The component in the N direction is
called the normal component: CN N C. The component in the B direction,
which is perpendicular to the TN plane, is called the binormal component:
CB BC = TN C.
Consider for example the components of the curvature vector . Since
= 0, the curvature vector has no parallel component (! = 0) the
b
curvature vector for the vector field B(x) is perpendicular to it at the point
x. The components of the curvature vector relative to a surface (x) = con-
stant in which the vector field lies (i.e., B = 0) can be specified as follows.
Define the normal to be in the direction of the gradient of : N /||.
Then, the components of the curvature vector perpendicular to (normal) and
lying within (geodesic) the surface are given by
n =
N = /||, normal curvature, (D.145)
g =
B = (b)
/|b|, geodesic curvature. (D.146)
The torsion (twisting) of a vector field B is defined by
d
B
)(b
N),
= (b torsion vector. (D.147)
d)
The binormal component of the torsion vector vanishes (B B = 0). The
normal component of the torsion vector locally defines the scale length L along
the vector B over which the vector field B(x) twists through an angle of one
radian:
d
B
)(b
N),
L 1/|N |, N
N =
N (b torsion length. (D.148)
d)
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%J.D Callen, Fundamentals of Plasma Physics
APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 12
curvature torsion
Rc B
shear
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APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 13
N) (b
B = (b
B N) 1/LS , local shear. (D.149)
The shear length LS is defined as the scale length over which the vector field
B(x) shears through an angle of one radian. The parallel component of the
total curl or rotation of a vector field B is given by a combination of its torsion
and shear, and N N:
b b = (b N) 2
N) (b )(b
N (b N) + N
N
= + 2N + N N, total rotation in B field. (D.150)
If the normal
N is taken to be in the direction, N = 0 and then
N
(b)
(b) 1
= , local shear with
N /||,
|b| 2 LS
(D.151)
and
b
b = + 2N . (D.152)
In the absence of shear ( = 0), this last relation yields N = (1/2)b b
the torsion for rigid body rotation is just half the parallel component of the
rotation in the vector field B.
In most applied mathematics books the normal N is taken to be in the curva-
ture vector direction (i.e.,
N ) instead of the direction. Then, the parallel
component of the torsion vector also vanishes [! b = b
(b )b
=
b = 0] and
N N, for N . (D.153)
For this case the interrelationships between the triad of unit vectors
T,
N,
B are
given by the Frenet-Serret formulas:
d
T
= N
N,
T B/B b,
d)
d
N
)b
/ |(b
)b|,
= N T + N
B,
N = (b (D.154)
d)
d
B
.
= N N,
B TN = b
d)
The local shear and total rotation in the vector field B for this case are as
given above in (D.149) and (D.150), respectively, for a general unit normal N.
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APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 14
ei ej = ji , (D.155)
where &
1, i = j,
ji Kronecker delta. (D.156)
0, i (= j,
The reciprocal base vectors can be written in terms of the original base vectors:
e2 e3 e3 e1 e1 e2
e1 = , e2 = 1 , e3 = 1 . (D.157)
e1 (e e )
2 3 e (e e )
2 3 e (e2 e3 )
Or, in general index notation
ej ek
ei = .ijk , i, j, k = permutations of 1, 2, 3 (D.158)
e1 (e2 e3 )
in which
+1 when i, j, k is an even permutation of 1, 2, 3
.ijk = 1 when i, j, k is an odd permutation of 1, 2, 3
0 when any two indices are equal Levi-Civita symbol.
(D.159)
The reciprocal LeviCivita symbol .ijk is the same, i.e., .ijk =.ijk . These for-
mulas are also valid if the subscripts and subscripts are reversed. Thus, the
original base vectors could be the reciprocal base vectors ei and the recip-
rocal base vectors could be the original base vectors ei since both sets of base
vectors are linearly independent. Either set can be used as a basis for repre-
senting three-dimensional vectors.
The identity tensor can be written in terms of the base or reciprocal vectors
as follows:
* i
i e ei = e e1 + e e2 + e e3
1 2 3
I
* identity tensor (D.160)
i ei e = e1 e + e2 e + e3 e .
i 1 2 3
This definition can be used to write any vector or operator in terms of either
its base or reciprocal vector components:
+
A = A I = (A e1 )e1 + (A e2 )e2 + (A e3 )e3 = Ai ei , Ai A ei ,
+
i
= (A e1 )e1 + (A e2 )e2 + (A e3 )e3 = Aj ej , Aj A ej ,
j
(D.161)
I = e1 (e1 ) + e2 (e2 ) + e3 (e3 )
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APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 15
The dot product between two vectors A and B is given in terms of their
base and reciprocal vector components by
+ + + +
AB = Ai Bi = Ai B i = (ei ej )Ai B j = (ei ej )Ai Bj . (D.163)
i i ij ij
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APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 16
These so-called contravariant (superscript index) base vectors point in the direc-
tion of the gradient of the curvilinear coordinates ui , and hence in the directions
perpendicular to the ui (x) = ci surfaces. The set of reciprocal base vectors ei
is given by
ej ek .ijk
ei = .ijk = 1 uj uk , covariant base vectors, (D.172)
e1 e2 e3 J
in which
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%J.D Callen, Fundamentals of Plasma Physics
APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 17
identity if and only if ui (x/uj ) = ji . Since this last relation is the same
as the defining relation for reciprocal base vectors (ei ej = ji ), it follows that
x
ei = , i = 1, 2, 3 covariant base vectors. (D.174)
ui
The so-called covariant (subscript index) base vectors point in the direction
of the local tangent to the ui variable coordinate curve (from the x/ui def-
inition), i.e., parallel to the ui coordinate curve. Alternatively, the covariant
base vectors can be thought of as pointing in the direction of the cross product
of contravariant base vectors for the two coordinate surfaces other than the ui
coordinate being considered (from the uj uk definition). That these two
directional definitions coincide follows from the properties of curvilinear sur-
faces and curves. The contravariant base vectors ei can also be defined as the
reciprocal base vectors of covariant base vectors ei :
ej ek .ijk x x
ei = .ijk = ; i, j, k = permutations of 1, 2, 3
e1 e2 e2 J uj uk
contravariant base vectors
(D.175)
in which
x x x
J= = e1 e2 e3 Jacobian (D.176)
u1 u2 u3
is the Jacobian of the transformation from the Cartesian coordinate system to
the curvilinear coordinate system specified by the functions ui .
The geometrical properties of a nonorthogonal curvilinear coordinate system
are characterized by the dot products of the base vectors:
x x
gij ei ej = covariant metric elements,
ui uj (D.177)
g ij
e e = u u
i j i j
contravariant metric elements.
These symmetric tensor metric elements can be used to write the covariant
components of a vector in terms of its contravariant components and vice versa:
+ +
Ai A ei = A I ei = (A ej )(ej ei ) = gij Aj
j j
+ + (D.178)
A Ae = AIe =
i i i
(A ej )(e e ) =
j i
g ij Ai .
j j
Similarly, they can also be used to write the covariant base vectors in terms of
the contravariant base vectors and vice versa:
+ +
ei = gij ej , ei = g ij ei . (D.179)
j j
From the dot product between these relations and their respective reciprocal
base vectors it can be shown that
+ +
gij g jk = g kj gji = ik . (D.180)
j j
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APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 18
The various partial derivatives in space can be worked out in terms of covari-
ant derivatives (/ui ) using the properties of the covariant and contravariant
base vectors for a general, nonorthogonal curvilinear coordinate system as fol-
lows:
+ f + f
f = ui i
= ei i gradient,
i
u i
u
(D.184)
+ei + ei
A = (A I) = g (A ei ) = ( gAi )
i
g i
g
+ 1 +1
= i
( g A ei ) = i
(J A ui ) divergence,
i
g u i
J u
+ + (D.185)
A = (A I) = (A ej )ej = Aj uj
j j
+ Aj + .ijk (A ej )
= i
ui uj =
ij
u g ui
ijk
, ,
, e1 e2 e3 ,
1 , ,
= , , u
1
u 2
u
,
3 , curl,
g,
A1 A2 A3 ,
(D.186)
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APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 19
+ 1 + f
2 f f = i
( g ei ej j )
i
g u j
u
+ 1 f +1 f
= i
( g g ij j ) = i
(J ui uj j ) Laplacian.
ij
g u u ij
J u u
(D.187)
Differential line, surface and volume elements can be written in terms of
differentials of the coordinates ui of a general, nonorthogonal curvilinear coor-
dinate system as follows. Total vector differential and line elements are:
+ x +
dx = i
dxi = ei dxi
u
i i
-* (D.188)
|d"| dx dx = i
ij gij du du
j metric of coordinates.
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APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 20
For the simplest orthogonal coordinate system, the Cartesian coordinate system,
1 = x = x
e , e2 = y = y , e
3 = z = z .
Because of the normalization and assumed orthogonality of these unit vec-
tors, &
1, for i = j,
ej = ij
ei
Kronecker delta. (D.193)
0, for i (= j,
The cross products of unit vectors are governed by the right-hand rule which is
embodied in the mathematical relation
ej = .ijk
ei ek (D.194)
in which the Levi-Civita symbol .ijk is defined by
+1, for i, j, k = 1, 2, 3 or 2, 3, 1 or 3, 1, 2 (even permutations)
.ijk 1, for i, j, k = 2, 1, 3 or 1, 3, 2 or 3, 2, 1 (odd permutations)
0, for any two indices the same.
(D.195)
A vector A can be represented in terms of its components in the orthogonal
directions (parallel to ui ) of the unit vectors ei :
+
A= Aiei = A1e1 + A2e2 + A3 e3 , Ai A ei (D.196)
i
Here and below the sum over i is over the three components 1,2,3.
ei given
Using the relations for the dot and cross products of the unit vectors
in (D.193) and (D.194) the dot, cross and dot-cross products of vectors become
+
AB = Ai Bi = A1 B1 + A2 B2 + A3 B3 , (D.199)
i , ,
, e3 ,
+ + , e1 e2 ,
AB = Ai Bj
ei ej = ek = ,
.ijk Ai Bj A
, 1 A 2 A ,
3 ,
ij ijk , B1 B2 B3 ,
=
e1 (A2 B3 A3 B2 ) +
e2 (A3 B1 A1 B2 ) +
e3 (A1 B2 A2 B1 ). (D.200)
, ,
, A1 A2 A3 ,
+ , ,
A BC = .ijk Ai Bj Ck = ,
, B1 B2 B3 , .
, (D.201)
ijk , C1 C2 C3 ,
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APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 21
Thus, the differential surface vector for the ui = ci surface, which is defined by
dS(i) = d"(j)d"(k), becomes
Since the differential volume element is d3x = d"(i) dS(i) = d"(1) d"(2)d"(3)
and the Jacobian of the transformation is given by J = 1/(u1 u2 u3 )
= h 1 h2 h 3 ,
d3x = h1 h2 h3 du1 du2 du3 , differential volume. (D.204)
For orthogonal coordinate systems the various partial derivatives in space
are
+ ei f +
f = i
= ei (
ei ) f, (D.205)
i
hi u i
+ 1 #J $ +
1
#
h 1 h2 h 3
$
A = A ei = ei , (D.206)
A
i
J ui hi i
h1 h2 h3 ui hi
+ .ijk hk
ek + .ijk hk
ek
A = i
(hj A
ej ) = (hj A
ej ), (D.207)
J u h1 h2 h3 ui
ijk ijk
+1 # $ + # $
J f 1 h1 h2 h3 f
f=
2
= . (D.208)
i
J ui h2i ui i
h1 h2 h3 ui h2i ui
The three most common orthogonal coordinate systems are the Cartesian,
cylindrical, and spherical coordinate systems. Their coordinate surfaces and
unit vectors are shown in Fig. D.3. They will be defined in this book by
Cartesian : ui = (x, y, z)
hx = 1, hy = 1, hz = 1 = J = 1; (D.209)
cylindrical : ui = (r, , z)
!
r x2 + y 2 , arctan(y/x), z z,
x = r cos , y = r sin , z = z,
hr = 1, h = r, hz = 1 = J = r; (D.210)
spherical : ui = (r, , )
! !
r x2 + y 2 + z 2 , arctan( x2 + y 2 /r), arctan(y/x),
x = r sin cos , y = r sin sin , z = r cos ,
hr = 1, h = r, h = r sin = J = r2 sin . (D.211)
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APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 22
Cartesian cylindrical
y y
z!=!c3 z!=!c3
x!=!c1 r!=!c1 r
x !=!c2
x
y!=!c2 x
z
z z
spherical
r
!=!c
y
!=!c3 x
r!=!c1
Figure D.3: Orthogonal unit vectors and constant coordinate surfaces for the
three most common orthogonal coordinate systems.
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APPENDIX D. VECTOR ANALYSIS 23
Note that with these definitions the cylindrical angle is the same as the az-
imuthal (longitudinal) spherical angle , but that the radial coordinate r is
different in the cylindrical and spherical coordinate systems. The spherical an-
gle is a latitude angle see Fig. D.3. Explicit forms for the various partial
derivatives in space, (D.205) (D.208), are given in Appendix Z.
REFERENCES
Intermediate level discussions of vector analysis are provided in
Greenberg, Advanced Engineering Mathematics, Chapters 13-16 (1998) [?]
Kusse and Westwig, Mathematical Physics (1998) [?]
Danielson, Vectors and Tensors in Engineering and Physics, 2nd Ed. (1997) [?]
DRAFT 11:26
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APPENDIX F. TRANSFORMS, COMPLEX ANALYSIS 1
Appendix F
Transforms, Complex
Analysis
This appendix discusses Fourier and Laplace transforms as they are used in
plasma physics and this book. Also, key properties of complex variable theory
that are needed for understanding and inverting these transforms, and to define
singular integrals that arise in plasma physics, are summarized here.
Fourier and Laplace transforms are useful in solving differential equations be-
cause they convert differentiation in the dependent variable into multiplication
by the transform variable. Thus, they convert linear differential equations into
algebraic equations in the transformed variables. In addition, Laplace trans-
forms introduce the (temporal) initial conditions and hence causality into the
transformed equations and the ultimate (inverse transform) solution.
transform is equal to the original function almost everywhere namely, everywhere the
function f is continuous. At a jump discontinuity the inverse transform is equal to the average
of the function across the discontinuity: [f (x + 0) + f (x 0)]/2.
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APPENDIX F. TRANSFORMS, COMPLEX ANALYSIS 2
Sufficient conditions for the integral in the Fourier transform to converge are that
f (x) be piecewise smooth and that the integral of f (x) converges absolutely:
!
d3x |f (x)| < constant, Fourier transform convergence condition. (F.4)
When these conditions are satisfied, the inverse Fourier transform yields the
original function f (x) at all x except at a discontinuity in the function where it
yields the average of the values of f (x) on the two sides of the discontinuity.
Some useful Fourier transforms are (here k 2 k k)
F{1} = (2)3 (k), (F.5a)
F{(x x0 )} = e ikx0
, (F.5b)
F{e ik0 x
} = (2) (k k0 ),
3
(F.5c)
F{e|x|/ /|x|} = 4/(k 2 + 1/2 ), (F.5d)
2
2 2 2
F{e|x| /2 } = ( 2 )3 ek /2 , (F.5e)
F{f (x)} = f(k), (F.5f) (F.5)
F{f (x)} = i k f(k), (F.5g)
F{ A} = i k A(k), (F.5h)
F{A(x)}
= i k A(k), (F.5i)
F{2 f (x)} = k 2 f(k), (F.5j)
" 3 #
F{ d x G(x x# ) f (x# )} = G(k) f(k). (F.5k)
The last relation is called the Fourier convolution relation. Corresponding in-
verse Fourier transforms can be inferred by taking the inverse Fourier transforms
ae
of these relations and using the fact that F 1 F{f (x)} = f (x).
As can be seen from (F.5e), which is indicative of the Fourier transform
of the smoothest possible localized function in space, the localization in space
(xrms = ) times the localization in k-space (krms = 1/) is subject to the
condition:
k x 1, uncertainty relation.2 (F.6)
Taking the dot product of the Fourier transform of a vector field with its
complex conjugate and integrating over all k-space yields
! !
d3k
d3x |A(x)|2 = |A(k)|2 , Parsevals theorem. (F.7)
(2)3
2 This uncertainty relation indicates the degree of localization in k-space for a given local-
ization of a function in x-space. For the energy density in wave-packets and the probability
density in quantum mechanics, the corresponding uncertainty principle is determined using the
square of the fluctuating field or wave function; then the uncertainty principle is k x 1/2.
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APPENDIX F. TRANSFORMS, COMPLEX ANALYSIS 3
Sufficient conditions for the Laplace transform integral to converge are that f (t)
be piecewise smooth and at most of exponential order:
which defines the convergence parameter needed for the path of integration in
the inverse Laplace transform (F.9). The function f (t) can grow exponentially
in time like et ; then > is required for (F.10) to be satisfied. The obtained
transform f() is only valid for Im{} > . As indicated by the ae (almost
everywhere) over the equal sign in (F.9), the inverse Laplace transform yields
the original function f (t) for all t except at a discontinuity in the function where
it yields the average of the values of f (t) on the two sides of the discontinuity.
Because the original function and its inverse Laplace transform are only valid for
t 0, some people introduce a Heaviside step function H(t) (see Section B.1)
into the integral in the definition of the inverse transform in (F.9) to emphasize
that fact.
3 Inplasma physics it is convenient to use eit as the integrating factor in the definition
of the Laplace transform so that when is real it will represent a (radian) frequency. Many
mathematics texts use est or ept (i s or p) as the integrating factor to emphasize
exponential growth or damping. Most electrical engineering texts use ejt (i j).
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APPENDIX F. TRANSFORMS, COMPLEX ANALYSIS 4
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APPENDIX F. TRANSFORMS, COMPLEX ANALYSIS 5
in infinite domains (in space) that have no starting or ending points and no
preferred directions of motion in them. In contrast, Laplace transforms rep-
resent functions in an infinite half-space of time that begins (with suitable in-
titial conditions) at t = 0, increases monotonically, and extends to an infinite
time in the future (t ). These physical differences are manifested math-
ematically in their transforms of unity. From (F.5a), the Fourier transform of
unity is F{1} = (2)3 (k), which is a function of k that is singular at k = 0.
In contrast, from (F.11a) with 0, the corresponding Laplace transfom is
L{1} = i/, Im{} > 0, which is singular for 0 but with the nature of
the singularity defined (see Sections F.4 to F.6) by the condition Im{} > .
Physically, this condition implies that as time progresses the response grows
less rapidly than et. Thus, Laplace transforms embody the physical property
of causality that the response proceeds sequentially in time from its initial condi-
tions whereas Fourier transforms embody no such directionality in the response
(or dependence on initial or boundary conditions). This key difference is often
highlighted by referring to the relevance of Laplace transforms for initial value
problems and for ensuring temporal causality in the solution.
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APPENDIX F. TRANSFORMS, COMPLEX ANALYSIS 6
This expansion reduces to a Taylor series expansion if cn = 0 for all n < 0; then,
cn = (1/n!) dnf /dz n |z=z0 , n = 0, 1, 2, . . ..
All functions that are analytic over a region can be expressed in terms of
convergent Taylor series, with the radius of convergence bounded by the dis-
tance from the expansion point to the nearest singularity. Examples of (entire)
functions that are analytic over the entire finite z-plane are z, z n, sin z, ez. On
the other hand, the function w1 (z) = 1 + z + z 2 + has a radius of con-
vergence |z| < 1. An analytic function can be analytically continued to ad-
jacent regions where the function is analytic through Taylor series expansion
about other points in the original analytic region or by other means. For ex-
ample, the power series in the function w1 (z) above can be summed to yield
w1 (z) = 1/(1 z) = 1/(z 1), which can be represented by a Laurent series
with c1 = 1 and z0 = 1 with all other cn = 0. The function 1/(z 1) is
analytic everywhere except at z = 1 and represents the analytic continuation of
the power series respresentation of w1 (z) to all z += 1.
Nonanalytic functions have singularities (z values where they are unbounded
or about which they are multivalued) and are represented by the Laurent series
with cn += 0 for some n < 0. Isolated singularities are classified as follows:
Poles. If the maximum negative power in the Laurent expansion (F.21)
is m (i.e., cm += 0 and cn = 0 for n > m), then the function w(z) has
an mth -order pole at z = z0 . For example, w1 (z) = 1/(z 1) has a
first-order pole at z = 1 and 1/(z 1)2 has a second-order pole at z = 1.
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APPENDIX F. TRANSFORMS, COMPLEX ANALYSIS 7
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APPENDIX F. TRANSFORMS, COMPLEX ANALYSIS 8
S()
x0 ( i)
() = G()
x = , S() x0 . (F.25)
2 i + 02
The temporal response x(t) is obtained from the inverse Laplace transform:
! +i
d
x(t) = L1 { x()} = I(), (F.26)
+i 2
eit x0 ( i)
I() = . (F.27)
( + i/2)( + + i/2)
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APPENDIX F. TRANSFORMS, COMPLEX ANALYSIS 9
Figure F.2: Illustration of: a) inverse Laplace transform integration path L and
infinite semi-circle Csc in the lower half -plane which can be used as a closing
contour for t > 0, and b) inverse Laplace transform contour CL and dotted
contour C0 which when added together yield the original integration path L.
the inverse Laplace transform for t < 0 can be shown by closing the contour on
an infinite semi-circle in the upper half plane by observing that because of the
convergence condition (F.10) there are no singularities within this contour.]
For a general Laplace transform inversion procedure, we analytically con-
tinue the Laplace integration contour downward, being careful to deform the
contour around the singular points of the integrand, as indicated in Fig. F.2b.
The integral along the original Laplace integration path (L) is equal to the sum
of the Laplace contour CL and the dotted contour C0 between it and the origi-
nal line integration path (L). However, since there are no singularities of I()
inside the C0 contour, this integral vanishes by (F.22a). Thus, the integral in
(F.26) becomes
! +i ! ! !
d d d d
I() = I() + I() = I(). (F.29)
+i 2 C0 2 CL 2 CL 2
The CL contour integral includes the two first-order poles at = which are
evaluated4 with (F.24a) using (F.28) for the residues, plus a line integral along
the path i to i which yields a contribution of order et :
!
d
x(t) = I() = i [c1 (+ ) + c1 ( )] + O{et }
CL 2
. /
= x0 e t/2
cos t + sin t + O{et }, t 0. (F.30)
2
4 The residue integrals are the negative of (F.23) because the small circular contours around
the poles are in the clockwise direction rather than being in the counterclockwise direction
for which (F.22) and (F.23) are defined.
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APPENDIX F. TRANSFORMS, COMPLEX ANALYSIS 10
The first term is the desired response and is the same as the result (??) obtained
via other means in Section E.2 for the present 0 = /2 case.
The O{et } term in (F.30) represents initial transient responses that decay
exponentially in time for t > 1/. For the present problem since there are no
other singularities in the lower half complex -plane, we can take and
this term vanishes. However, for plasma physics responses there are often many
(sometimes a denumerable infinity of) singularities in the lower half complex -
plane and we are usually only interested in the time-asymptotic response. Then,
we usually only calculate the responses from the singularities that are highest in
the complex -plane, and estimate the time scale on which this time-asymptotic
response will obtain from the maximum for a contour CL that lies just above
the next highest singularities. Note that the resultant responses may be growing
exponentially in time (if the highest singularities are in the upper half -plane),
and that the transients may also be growing (more slowly) in time (if < 0).
The generic physical points evident from this inverse Laplace transform anal-
ysis procedure are that: 1) responses are determined by the singularities of the
integrand of the inverse Laplace transform, which in turn are usually determined
by the singularities of the Laplace transform of the system transfer (Green) func-
tion G(); 2) the singularities that are highest in the complex -plane dominate
the time-asymptotic response; and 3) the next highest singularities determine
the time scale on which this asymptotic response becomes dominant.
f
+ v f = Sf . (F.31)
t
Taking the Fourier-Laplace transform of this equation using (F.13), (F.5g), and
(F.11k), we obtain
i
G(k, ) = , Im{} > , ballistic propagator. (F.33)
kv
This Fourier-Laplace transfer function has a singularity at = k v that is
defined (resolved) by the Laplace transform convergence condition (F.10) and
hence by the initial-value problem (causality) characteristics of the Laplace
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APPENDIX F. TRANSFORMS, COMPLEX ANALYSIS 11
in which the second line follows from combining the convolution integrals (F.5k)
and (F.11n) that result from the inverse Fourier and Laplace transforms of the
products of the two transforms G(k, v, ). The Green function
) and S(k,
G(x, t) is obtained by first using the same inverse Laplace transform procedure
of deforming the Laplace integration contour (see Fig. F.2) downward around
the singularity (in this case at = k v) as was used in the preceding analysis of
the damped oscillator. Then, taking account of the first-order pole, evaluating
the residue via (F.24a), and using the delta function definition in (??) with
x x vt to evaluate the inverse Fourier transform, we obtain
% & !
i d3k ik(xvt)
G(x, t) = F 1 L1 = e = (x vt),
kv (2)3
Green function. (F.35)
which is the ballistic response we have been seeking. The first term represents
propagation of the initial distribution function along the ballistic straight-line
particle trajectories x = x(t = 0) + vt, while the second represents the time
integral of the effect of the propagation of the source function along the same
trajectories. Since the solutions propagate (move along) the ballistic motion of
the particles, these are called ballistic solutions. Hence, the transform of the
Green function that caused this response, which is given in (F.33), is called the
ballistic propagator.
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APPENDIX F. TRANSFORMS, COMPLEX ANALYSIS 12
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APPENDIX F. TRANSFORMS, COMPLEX ANALYSIS 13
Figure F.4: Areas that cancel in the Cauchy principal value limit process as
) 0 to produce a convergent integral are shown cross-hatched.
For Im{} = 0 the integration over the singularity in the real integrals inte-
grand at u = Re{/k} u0 is defined (i.e., made convergent) by the prescrip-
tion
%! & .! u0 ' ! /
g(u) g(u) g(u)
P du lim du + du ,
u u0 '0 u u0 u0 +' u u0
Cauchy principal value operator P. (F.40)
As shown in Fig. F.4, the Cauchy principal value limit process causes the nearly
equal areas on the two sides of the singularity to cancel as ) 0; it thereby
yields a finite integral as long as g(u) is a continuous function of u at u = u0 .
The definition of I(/k) in (F.39) appears to be discontinuous as Im{}
approaches zero from above and below, but is in fact continuous there. In the
limit of Im{} ) 0, the singular part of the integrand becomes
% &
1 (u u0 ) i) 1
lim = lim = P i (u u0 ),
'0 u (u0 i)) '0 (u u0 )2 + )2 u u0
Plemelj formulas.(F.41)
In obtaining the last, imaginary term, we used the definition of the delta func-
tion from (??) and (??) in Section B.2. Using the Plemelj formulas, it can be
shown that the Im{} 0 limits of both (F.39a) and (F.39c) yield (F.39b).
Thus, the definition in (F.39) is just what is needed to make I(/k) a continuous
function of Im{}; hence, (F.39) represents the proper analytic continuation of
the function I(/k) defined in (F.38) from the upper half -plane, where it
is initially defined, to the entire -plane. Note also that since the representa-
tions in the various Im{} regions are continuous in the vicinity of Im{} . 0,
we can use any of the representations there. In plasma physics the represen-
tation of I{/k} for Im{} = 0 given in (F.39b) is often used for all Im{} . 0.
DRAFT 12:20
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APPENDIX F. TRANSFORMS, COMPLEX ANALYSIS 14
REFERENCES
Discussions of transforms and complex variable theory are provided in most ad-
vanced engineering mathematics and mathematical physics textbooks, for example:
Greenberg, Advanced Engineering Mathematics (1988,1998), Chapts. 5, 2124
[?]
Greenberg, Foundations of Applied Mathematics (1978), Chapts. 6, 1116 [?]
Morse and Feshbach, Methods of Theoretical Physics (1953), Vol. I, Chapt. 4
[?]
Arfken, Mathematical Methods for Physicists (1970) [?]
Kusse and Westwig, Mathematical Physics (1998), Chapts. 69 [?]
Classic treatises on the theory of complex variables are
Whittaker and Watson, A Course of Modern Analysis (1902,1963) [?]
Copson, Theory of Functions of a Complex Variable (1935) [?]
Carrier, Crook, Pearson, Functions of a Complex Variable (1966) [?]
An extensive table of Fourier and Laplace (and other) transforms is provided in
Erd`elyi, Tables of Integral Transforms, Vol. 1 (1954) [?]
DRAFT 12:20
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APPENDIX Z. USEFUL FORMULAS 1
Appendix Z
Useful Formulas
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APPENDIX Z. USEFUL FORMULAS 2
+ A with b
A = A! b B/B
A
A! B A/B = b
bA)
A B(BA)/B 2 = b(
For A = Bf /B 2 , (BA ) = (b
b f ) (b
b)
(f g) = gf + f g f 2 f
(f A) = f A + f A f = 0
(f A) = f A + f A A 2 A
(f T) = f T + f T = ( A) (A)
(f T) = f T + f T A = 0
(B )(A C) = C (B ) A + A (B ) C
(A B) = A(B) + B(A) + (A ) B + (B ) A
(AB) = B ( A) + (A ) B
(AB) = B A A B
(AB) = A ( B) B ( A) + (B ) A (A ) B
!
ex + y
For the general coordinate x x ey + z
ez and |x| x2 + y 2 + z 2 ,
x = 3, x = 0, x = I, I = 0, I = 0, A I = A,
|x| = x/|x|, (1/|x|) = x/|x| , (1/|x|) = 4(x),
3 2
I A = A.
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APPENDIX Z. USEFUL FORMULAS 3
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APPENDIX Z. USEFUL FORMULAS 4
Physical Constants
me electron mass 9.11 1031 kg, 511 keV
mp proton mass 1.67 1027 kg, 938 MeV
mp /me mass ratio 1836 = (42.85)2
e elementary charge 1.602 1019 C (= J/eV)
c speed of light in vacuum 3 108 m/s = 1/ 0 '0
0 permeability of vacuum 4 107 N/A2
'0 permittivity of vacuum 8.85 1012 F/m, 4'0 ' 1010
h Planck constant 6.626 1034 J s
NA Avogadro constant 6.022 1023 #/mol
e/kB Boltzmann constant 11 600 K/eV
Frequencies (
ne e2
electron plasma pe me '0 ' 56 ne rad/s, fpe ' 9 ne Hz
qi B Zi B
ion gyrofrequency ci ' 0.96 108 rad/s
mi Ai
& '
4 5 1011 ne Zi ln
electron collision e (vT e ) ' s1
3 [Te (eV)]3/2 17
Lengths ( (
'0 Te Te (eV)
electron Debye De ' 7.4 10 3
m
ne e2 ne
!
vT i Ti (eV) Ai
ion gyroradius +i ' 1.4 104 m
ci Zi B
& '
16 [Te (eV)] 17
2
vT e
electron collision e = ' 1.2 10 m
e ne Zi ln
Speeds, Velocities
! !
electron thermal vT e 2 Te /me ' 5.9 105 Te (eV) m/s
! !
ion thermal vT i 2 Ti /mi ' 1.4 104 Ti (eV)/Ai m/s
! !
ion acoustic (Te >> Ti ) cS Zi Te /mi ' 104 Zi Te (eV)/Ai m/s
Alfven cA B/ 0 m ' 2.2 1016 B/ ni Ai m/s
electron diamagnetic & '
Te 1 dne Te (eV)
flow (dTe /dx = 0) Ve ey =
ey m/s
qe B ne dx B Ln
electron drift in B(x) & '
2Te 1 dB 2 Te (eV)
(average, low ) De
v = ey =
ey m/s
qe B B dx B LB
DRAFT 11:19
February 2, 2002 c
!J.D Callen, Fundamentals of Plasma Physics
APPENDIX Z. USEFUL FORMULAS 5
vE = EB/B 2 EB VE = EB/B 2
v = BB/qB 2 grad-B
2
mv /2B
v = Bmv!2 /qB 2 curvature
)b
(b = RC /R2
C
diamagnetic V = Bp/nqB 2
vp = Bm(dvD /dt)/qB 2 polarization Vp = Bm(dV/dt)/qB 2
friction V = RB/nqB 2
viscosity V = B /nqB 2
vD = vE + v + v total V = VE + V + V p + V + V
Diffusivities
5/2& '
21 [Te (eV)] 17
no magnetic field e 2e vT2 e /e ' 7 10 m2 /s
ne Zi ln
magnetic field /0 (me e /ne e2 )/
& 0 '& '
Zi ln
' 1.4 10 3
m2 /s
[Te (eV)]3/2 17
classical e +2e = e (/0 ) & '
ne Zi ln
' 5.6 10 22
m2 /s
B 2 [Te (eV)]1/2 17
Dimensionless
number of electrons
in Debye cube ne 3De ' 4.1 1011 [Te (eV)]3/2 / ne
& '
D
Coulomb logarithm ln ln qm
max [ bcl
min , bmin ]
bqm
min = h/(4me v) ' 1.1 10
10
/[Te (eV)]1/2 m
plasma to n e T e + ni Ti
magnetic pressure
B 2 /20
) *$ %
25 ne ni
' 4.0 10 Te (eV) + Ti (eV)
B2 ne
a /(/0 )
2
Lundquist number S
L! /cA
& '
13 a B [Te
(eV)]3/2 17
2
' 1.6 10
L! Zi ni Ai ln
DRAFT 11:19
February 2, 2002 c
!J.D Callen, Fundamentals of Plasma Physics
APPENDIX Z. USEFUL FORMULAS 6
Electrodynamics
E = q /'0 Gausss law
E = B/t Faradays law
B = 0 no magnetic monopoles
B = 0 (J + '0 E/t) Amperes law, 0 '0 = 1/c2
0 = q /t + J charge continuity equation
E = A/t, B = A potential representations
Plasma Physics
Plasma kinetic equation (PKE) for distribution function f fs (x, v, t):
f / t + v f / x + (q/m) (E + vB) f / v = C(f ).
DRAFT 11:19
February 2, 2002 c
!J.D Callen, Fundamentals of Plasma Physics