AA 244: PLASMA PHYSICS REVIEW SHEET Conditions for a Plasma A plasma is a quasineutral gas of charged and neutral particles

which exhibits collective behavior. 1. Quasineutral: Length scale much smaller than Debye length : = guiding center is: = 1 =

sin

Inhomogeneous electric field: Drift term changes to: = 1+ 4 Time-varying -field: Polarization drift given by: =

Second adiabatic invariant: Found by integrating the canonical momentum over a bounce between mirror points and . Equations: Note that if = 0, then = 0. Third adiabatic invariant: Found by integrating the momentum along the longitudinal drift around the earth. = = constant =

= constant

2. Collective behavior: The number of particles in a Debye shield must be large: ( 1) 4 = 3 3. If is the frequency of typical plasma oscillations and is the mean free time between collisions with neutral atoms, a plasma requires > 1. Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution = = 2
,

Inhomogeneous magnetic field: Assume is small, , and = 0. This causes a gradient drift velocity: 2 and a curvature drift velocity: =

The third adiabatic invariant is used to describe drift paths when the magnetic field is slowly changing (e.g., getting stronger or weaker). Permeability of a Plasma Classical treatment: = + = where = 1+ = . in a plasma: 1 2

1-D:

3-D:

1 2

2 3 = , 2 Single Particle Motions Governing equation: Lorentz Force: Uniform magnetic field, = 0: Particle will gyrate in a helix with gyroradius (Larmor radius): = = = , = +

where is the radius of the curvature of the magnetic field and is the unit vector normal to the curve. If = 0, which happens when Magnetization vector 1 1 = 0 and = 0, = = =

Therefore,

Mirroring Force: A gradient in will also cause a change in the particles parallel velocity given by: 1 = 2 This will mirror particles as they enter regions where increases. Longintudinal drift around Earth: Protons/Ions: westward. Electrons: eastward. Adiabatic Invariants

Permittivity of a Plasma Classical treatment: = + = = where = 1 + and = =1+ + =

with

constant.

Permittivity in a Plasma (low freq.): =1+

with a gyrofrequency of: = =

Plasmas as Fluids First adiabatic invariant: Found by Momentum equation: Uniform magnetic field, 0: integrating the momentum around the gyration orbit. Equation of interest: Particle will gyrate as when = 0 + sin but its guiding center will drift with = = constant = + velocity: The Navier-Stokes equation for fluids where tan = = assumes that there are frequent and the related equation can be used collisions of the particles, which Uniform magnetic field, 0: doesnt generally happen in plasmas. is any perpendicular force, drift of the to find the magnetic field at the mirror point:

Three things allow fluid model to be good: 1. Fluid model is generally not sensitive to deviations from Maxwellian distribution. 2. Langmuirs paradox: the electron distribution function is far more nearly Maxwellian than the actual collision rate. 3. The -field can act like collisions for motion perpendicular to it, making the fluid theory a good approximation for that case. Continuity Equation: + =0

derivation). Current for = +

= 1:

Alfvn:

Curvature drift: Add force term to right hand side of momentum equation: =

Compression ratio: +1 = = if 1

Gradient drift: not present in fluid picture.

Maxwells equations for fluids: = 1 = =0

Magnetohydrodynamics Plasma approximation: replace equation with = . In plasmas, the Consider plasma as single fluid, so set: = + equation is used to find the charge density, not the electric field. The = electric field can be found from the = momentum equation. Only find the + electric field using the equation if = + you must. The approximation is Magnetic pressure: 2 . generally valid for low frequencies. Boltzmann Relationship (results from Waves balance of pressure and electrostatics): = Phase velocity: Group velocity: = = = 1 <

Dissipation mechanism: For fluids, it is viscosity due to collisions. For plasmas, it is radiation, scattering, and effective resistivity.

(valid when = 0 or if = and are in the same direction because the term was neglected in

Occur when supersonic wave hits Linearization: barrier (such as solar wind hitting Adiabatic Equation of State: + 0 Earths magnetic field). Need flow (no or = constant flow means no shock). Jump Conditions (Collisionless, Ideal is the ratio of specific heats under Electrostatic wave: =0 constant pressure and constant volume: MHD): =0 0 Electromagnetic wave: 2+ = = Longitudinal wave: + + =0 2 where is the number of degrees of (necessarily electrostatic) freedom. Note: = 1 for isothermal Transverse wave: =0 compression by definition. Also: Index of refraction: = = Cut-off: = 0, Resonance: + 2 1 Wave reflected at cut-off and =0 Charge and current densities: absorbed at resonance. = + Plasma Oscillations: = =0 Assumptions: = 0, = 0, ions Electric field drift: are fixed (so = 0), = , =0 = , is normal = Note: = = 0 and = = = to shock, is tangential to shock. = 0, plasma is infinite, and Diamagnetic current drift: Mach numbers ( > 1 upstream and motion happens only in one direction. < 1 downstream): = = Equations to linearize: Sonic: = + + =0 =

Divergence equations are redundant since they can be derived from curls.

Shocks

 = Resultant dispersion relation =

Oscillation does not propagate because is independent of . In a finite plasma, fringing fields will allow for propagation. Electron Plasma Waves: 0, so include pressure term in momentum equation: =3 Resultant dispersion relation 3 2 = + 2 Thermal motion of electrons cause a disturbance to propagate. Dispersion diagram: Blue: Red: Green: 3 2

(instead using Poissons equation), you get the following: = 1+ 1 +

(typical in low density plasmas): 1 1 1 = + Electromagnetic Waves with Use Maxwell equations: = =

This only becomes relevant at high frequencies (short wavelengths). Dispersion Diagram (red uses the plasma approx, slope is ):

Results in dispersion relation: = + So cut-off at = . Dispersion diagram is identical to electron plasma wave but blue line is . EM Wave Parallel to Dispersion relation is: (i.e., )

= 0:

Ion acoustic waves: For low frequencies since ions are massive, so use plasma approx. To derive, include ion continuity equation and equation of motion: + + =0

= Also = and = . For electrons, do Taylor expansion of Electrostatic Ion Waves: Derivation similar to ion acoustic Boltzmann relation above. Dispersion relation: waves but 0. Two cases depending on = 2 : + = >~ : Boltzmann relation can be used. This results in: Often 0, so this reduces to: = + Like upper hybrid waves, the field acts as another restoring force. <~ : Boltzmann The ions move like acoustic waves relation cannot be used. Results in but instead of propagating through lower hybrid frequency: collisions, the wave propagates = through the electric field. If plasma approx cannot be used If you dont use plasma approx

Electrostatic Electron Waves: Now let 0 and (so still electrostatic). For perpendicular to , the dispersion relation is: = + This is similar to plasma oscillations, but now there are two restoring forces: -field and -field, resulting in a larger frequency. When 0, 0, and this reduces to plasma 0, 0, and oscillation. As you have single particle motion. When is at an angle to , the dispersion relation is cos = which corresponds to a combination of plasma oscillations and upper hybrid oscillations modified by . For = 2, this reduces to = , and for = 0, this reduces to = as expected.

1 where the sign corresponds to waves with RHCP and the + sign corresponds to waves with LHCP. Two cut-off frequencies: 4 2 corresponding to each polarization. Faraday Rotation: Because a linearly polarized wave is the sum of an RHCP and LHCP wave, and those waves propagate with different velocities, the plane of polarization of a linearly polarized wave changes by an angle given by:
,

=1

2 Dispersion diagram: Blue line is RHCP and green is LHCP.

wR wp wL wc
k

EM Wave Perp. to (i.e., ) Ordinary mode: Result is the same dispersion as for = 0. Extraordinary mode: :

Lower branch called Whistler mode.

Wave will generate both transverse ( ) and longitudinal ( ) terms due to . Dispersion relation: = 1 This has resonance at and and a cut-off at . Dispersion diagram: Blue line is ordinary and green is extraordinary.

Weakly Ionized Plasma Diffusion Takes into account non-uniform density 0: Without collisions, particles would not move across unless there and non-infinite plasma extent. was or drifts. However, Mean-free path between collisions: collisions will cause particles to deflect 1 = is cross-sectional area) across possibly. Mean-free path is , so diffusion as . Define constants: Mean time & freq between collisions: 1 = = 1 1+ 1+ = = = So diffusion across depends on Mobility and diffusion coefficients: . Ambipolar diffusion is complicated by the fact that -field can = = = wR be short-circuited by imbalance of flux wH wp along . This time set = . Flux: wL = = Coulomb collisions: wc Ficks Law: = is special case. Electrons paths deflected by Weakly Ionized Plasma Diffusion, k ions. is impact = 0: Because electrons move faster parameter. EM Wave at arbitrary angle to : than ions, they leave a plasma first, Propagation consists of both types which creates an electric field that Collisions in fully ionized plasmas are above. Appleton-Hartree equation retards further exiting of electrons and dominated by Coulomb collisions. describes dispersion relation. accelerates exiting of ions. The electric Frequency: field is found by setting the fluxes Hydromagnetic (Alfvn) Wave: = Geometry is , , =: is the specific resistivity of the = and , . Also = 0. + plasma, which is for Maxwellian: Equivalent to EM wave in a dielectric This results in the ambipolar diffusion (valid only for low frequencies). coefficient: ln 12 Dispersion relation: + 4 = = + = = Plugging this into the continuity 1+ This is resistivity because = . As equation results in: , collisions . With 0, So define Alfvn velocity as: perpendicular diffusion coefficient is: = = which can be solved by separation of = variables: Assume a solution of the Physically, ions and electrons move which is not constant, resulting in nonwith the magnetic field propagating form: linear PDE. The time-dependence is the , , , = (as if they were frozen in). reciprocal (by separation of variables): Substitute that in and move terms to 1 1 Magnetosonic Waves: the left and spatial terms to the right. = + Now take , . Dispersion Since each side will be a function of a relation: different variable, both must be equal But spatial dependence is harder. + to the same constant, resulting in an Bohm Diffusion: Experimentally, = ordinary differential equation. diffusion with constant: + 1 This is an acoustic wave produced by Steady-state solutions: Equation with = 16 drifts across . In the limit thatsource is: has been discovered with exponential 0, 0, and the result is = decay in time. Time constant: ordinary ion acoustic waves. When 0, 0, and wave In steady state, = 0. Recombination = is cyl. area) 2 becomes a modified Alfvn wave. rate modeled with = .

Diffusion