Nonlinear Magnetohydrodynamics

A self-contained introduction to magnetohydrodynamics with emphasis on nonlinear processes.

Dieter Biskamp (Author)

9780521599184, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 17 July 1997

396 pages, 125 b/w illus. 20 tables
24.8 x 17.4 x 2.3 cm, 0.65 kg

'… very clearly written, and can be recommended to any graduate-level student with the necessary background in electromagnetism who requires an introduction to current research in this field. I would regard it as one of the most important books to have been published recently in the general area of plasma physics, and I expect it to become a standard reference which is not likely to be superseded for some time.' R. A. Cairns, Contemporary Physics

A self-contained introduction to magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), with emphasis on nonlinear processes. Chapters 2 to 4 outline the conventional aspects of MHD theory, magnetostatic equilibrium and linear stability theory, which form a natural basis for the topics in the subsequent chapters. The main part, chapters 5 to 7, presents nonlinear theory, starting with the evolutions and saturations of individual ideas and resistive instabilities, continuing with a detailed analysis of magnetic reconnection, and concluding with the most complex nonlinear behaviour, that of MHD turbulence. The last chapters describe three important applications of the theory: disruptive processes in tokamaks, MHD effects in reversed-field pinches, and solar flares. In the presentation the focus is more on physical mechanisms than on special formalisms. The book is essential reading for researchers and graduate students interested in MHD processes both in laboratory and in astrophysical plasmas.

Preface
1. Introduction
2. Basic properties of magnetohydrodynamics
3. Magnetostatic equilibria
4. Normal modes and instability
5. Nonlinear evolution of MHD instabilities
6. Magnetic reconnection
7. MHD turbulence
8. Disruptive processes in tokamak plasmas
9. Dynamics of the reversed-field pinch
10. Solar flares
Outlook
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Plasma physics [PHFP]