Monday, December 19, 2011

Fundamentals of Plasma Physics by J. A. Bittencourt

By J. A. Bittencourt

Fundamentals of Plasma Physics by J. A. Bittencourt


          Fundamentals of Plasma Physics is a general introduction designed to present a comprehensive, logical and unified treatment of the fundamentals of plasma physics based on statistical kinetic theory, with applications to a variety of important plasma phenomena. Its clarity and completeness makes the text suitable for self-learning and for self-paced courses. Throughout the text the emphasis is on clarity, rather than formality, the various derivations are explained in detail and, wherever possible, the physical interpretations are emphasized. The mathematical treatment is set out in great detail, carrying out the steps which are usually left to the reader. The problems form an integral part of the text and most of them were designed in such a way as to provide a guideline, stating intermediate steps with answers.


Fundamentals of Plasma Physics by J. A. Bittencourt Overview

          Fundamentals of Plasma Physics is a comprehensive textbook designed to present a logical and unified treatment of the fundamentals of plasma physics based on statistical kinetic theory, with applications to a variety of important plasma phenomena. The clarity and completeness of the text makes it suitable for self-learning. Throughout the text the emphasis is on clarity, rather than formality. The various derivations are explained in detail and, wherever possible, the physical interpretations are emphasized. The mathematical treatment is set out in great detail, carrying out steps that are usually left to the reader. The problems form an integral part of the text and most of them were designed in such a way as to provide a guideline for the student, stating intermediate steps with answers. The book is intended primarily for advanced undergraduate and first year graduate students meeting the subject of plasma physics for the first time and is suitable for those who have taken classical mechanics, electrodynamics and mathematics beyond sophomore level. It is a valuable compendium for any serious student of plasma physics at the level of research student or research worker and it is also of interest to researchers in other related fields, such as space physics and applied electromagnetism.

Fundamentals of Plasma Physics by J. A. Bittencourt Review

          I have worked through a self study/directed reading course with this book and I can say that I enjoyed it. I think the statement made in the description of the book about 'emphasizing physical meaning' more than formality is a bit of a stretch. The book does have a great reading flow, but there are many times where just a short sentence detailing the geometric/physical meaning would make the reading go by so much faster. There were a few times where I had to spend 30+ minutes straightening out a claim made by the author that would have been resolved in two minutes with a another sentence and some reflection on my part. With that said, this book is still in the top tier of any physics book I have read, not the best, but it is still done very well. I enjoyed the detail that was gone into in the mathematical development - there is not much hand waving here. The bottom line is, if you are looking for a detailed mathematical approach to plasma physics (heavy calculus), this might be your book.

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