Intro to Plasma Physics
4:10pm–6:40pm
SEELEY W. MUDD BUILDING MUD 644
Morningside
Seat data provenance: Directory as of August 23, 2026 at 4:00 AM
Lecture · In-Person · Standard
Open to Columbia College, Engineering:Undergraduate, Engineering:Graduate, GSAS, General Studies
Description
Definition of a plasma. Plasmas in laboratories and nature, plasma production. Motion of charged particles in electric and magnetic fields, adiabatic invariants. Heuristic treatment of collisions, diffusion, transport, and resistivity. Plasma as a conducting fluid. Electrostatic and magnetostatic equilibria of plasmas. Waves in cold plasmas. Demonstration of laboratory plasma behavior, measurement of plasma properties. Illustrative problems in fusion, space, and nonneutral or beam plasmas.
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Flat map — motion reduced