Plasma science : from fundamental research to technological applications / Panel on Opportunities in Plasma Science and Technology, Plasma Science Committee, Board on Physics and Astronomy, Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications, National Research Council.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

National Research Council (U.S.). Panel on Opportunities in Plasma Science and Technology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Plasma (Ionized gases)--Research.

Plasma (Ionized gases).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (230 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : National Academy Press, c1995.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Physicists continue to make new discoveries and gain new insights, which not only broaden and deepen our understanding of the physical world but also bring more concrete benefits to society as the basis for new technologies and products.

Contents:

Plasma Science

Copyright

Preface

Acknowledgments

Contents

Executive Summary

FINDINGS

CONCLUSIONS

RECOMMENDATIONS

PART I Overview

INTRODUCTION

THE ROLE OF PLASMA SCIENCE IN OUR SOCIETY

THE DISCIPLINE OF PLASMA SCIENCE

COMMON RESEARCH THEMES

Wave-Particle Interactions and Plasma Heating

Chaos, Turbulence, and Transport

Plasma Sheaths and Boundary Layers

Magnetic Reconnection and Dynamo Action

RESEARCH AND EDUCATION IN PLASMA SCIENCE

Basic Plasma Experiments

Theory and Computational Plasma Physics

Education in Plasma Science

SUMMARY OF TOPICAL AREAS

LOW-TEMPERATURE PLASMAS

NONNEUTRAL PLASMAS

INERTIAL CONFINEMENT FUSION

MAGNETIC CONFINEMENT FUSION

BEAMS, ACCELERATORS, AND COHERENT RADIATION SOURCES

SPACE PLASMAS

ASTROPHYSICAL PLASMAS

CENTRAL MESSAGES OF THIS REPORT

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

PART II Topical Areas

1 Low-Temperature Plasmas

LIGHTING

GAS DISCHARGE LASERS

PLASMA ISOTOPE SEPARATION

PLASMAS FOR ELECTRIC PROPULSION OF SPACE VEHICLES

MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS

PLASMAS FOR POLLUTION CONTROL AND REDUCTION

PLASMA PROCESSING OF MATERIALS

Conclusions

Recommendations

2 Nonneutral Plasmas

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

RECENT ADVANCES IN NONNEUTRAL PLASMAS

Electron Plasmas

Ion Plasmas

Ion Plasmas in Electron-Beam Ion Traps

Confinement of Antimatter

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

Coherent Structures and Vortex Dynamics

Transport Processes

Confinement Properties in Nonaxisymmetric Geometries

Stochastic Effects

Strongly Coupled Nonneutral Plasmas

Quantum-Mechanical Effects

Antimatter

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY

Precision Clocks

Precision Mass Spectrometry

Ion Sources with Enhanced Brightness

Electron-Beam Ion Traps.

Radiation Sources

Pressure Standard in Ultrahigh-Vacuum Regime

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

3 Inertial Confinement Fusion

RECENT ADVANCES

Laser Fusion

Ion-Beam Fusion

SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL OPPORTUNITIES

4 Magnetic Confinement Fusion

MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS AND STABILITY

Introduction and Background

Past Achievements

Future Prospects

TOKAMAK TRANSPORT

EDGE AND DIVERTOR PHYSICS

Recent Advances

Future Research and Technical Opportunities

PLASMA HEATING AND NON-INDUCTIVE CURRENT DRIVE

Neutral-Beam Heating and Current Drive

Radio-Frequency Heating and Current Drive

DIAGNOSTIC DEVELOPMENT

NON-TOKAMAK CONCEPTS

5 Beams, Accelerators, and Coherent Radiation Sources

RECENT ADVANCES AND SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITIES

Intense Charged-Particle Beams

Accelerators

Coherent Radiation Sources

6 Space Plasmas

Background

Status

TOOLS FOR SPACE PLASMA PHYSICS

Space-Based Techniques

Ground-Based Techniques

Plasma Theory and Simulations

Laboratory Techniques

FUNDAMENTAL PROCESSES IN SPACE PLASMAS

Wave-Particle Interactions

Charged-Particle and Plasma Energization

Dust-Plasma Interactions

The Critical Ionization Velocity Effect

Radiation Processes.

ACTIVE EXPERIMENTS

Plasma and Neutral Mass Injections

Particle Beam Experiments

Wave Injection Experiments

Vehicle-Environment Interactions

FUTURE PLANS AND OPPORTUNITIES

In Situ Observations

In Situ Experiments

Terrestrial Observation Networks

Laboratory Experiments

7 Plasma Astrophysics

RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN PLASMA ASTROPHYSICS

Magnetized Disks, Winds, and Jets

Particle Acceleration in Shocks

Magnetized Convection in Stars

Formation of Low-Mass Stars

PROBLEMS IN PLASMA ASTROPHYSICS

Dense Stellar Plasmas

Thermal Conduction in Plasmas

Structure of Collisionless Shocks

Acceleration of Particles to High Energies

Hydromagnetic Turbulence

Magnetic Reconnection

The Magnetization of the Universe

TRAINING IN PLASMA ASTROPHYSICS

FUNDING FOR PLASMA ASTROPHYSICS

SUMMARY

Recommendation

PART III Board Areas of Plasma Science

8 Basic Plasma Experiments

OVERVIEW OF RECENT PROGRESS

Wave Phenomena

Bernstein Waves.

Mode Conversion.

Magnetically Trapped Particle Instabilities.

Lower Hybrid Wave Current Drive.

Beat Wave Excitation and Particle Acceleration.

Nonlinear Phenomena

Double Layers.

Ponderomotive Forces and the Filamentation of Electromagnetic Radiation.

Magnetic Field Line Reconnection.

Plasma Reorganization.

Chaos and Turbulence

Chaos.

Quasilinear Effects and Single-Wave Stochasticity.

Collisionless Heat Transport.

Strong Langmuir Turbulence.

Experimental Techniques and Capabilities

Plasma Sources

Mechanical Probes

Laser-Based Optical Diagnostics

Data Acquisition and Processing

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES.

Fundamental Plasma Processes

Alfven Waves.

Wave-Plasma Interactions.

Intense Laser-Plasma Interactions.

Chaos, Turbulence, and Localized Structures

Nonlinear Particle Dynamics and Chaos.

Nonlinear Wave Phenomena.

Turbulence.

Turbulent Transport.

Sheaths, Boundary Layers, and Double Layers.

Shock Waves.

Striated Plasmas.

Flows in Magnetized Plasmas.

Plasmoids.

Magnetic Effects

Dynamo Action.

Magnetic Reconfiguration.

New Experimental Capabilities

Use of Nanotechnology

Optical Diagnostics

New Regimes of Plasma Parameters

Data Acquisition

Massively Parallel Plasma Diagnostics

9 Theoretical and Computational Plasma Physics

RECENT ADVANCES IN THEORETICAL AND COMPUTATIONAL PLASMA PHYSICS

Hamiltonian Transport

Coherent Structures and Self-Organization

Strong Plasma Turbulence

Gyrokinetics

Large-Orbit Effects on Plasma Stability

Three-Dimensional Magnetohydrodynamics

Numerical Simulation of Plasma Processes

Nonlinear Laser-Plasma Interaction

Nonlinear Processes in Ionospheric Plasmas

Collisional Relaxation of Nonneutral Plasmas

Free-electron Lasers and High-Power Microwave Sources

Basic Plasma Theory and Applications to Laboratory Plasmas

Nonlinear Plasma Processes

Numerical Simulation

Novel Analytical Techniques

Boundary Layers

Kinetic Theory

Stochastic Effects in Evolving Plasmas

Alpha-Particle Effects in Magnetically Confined Plasmas

Concept Improvement

Nonlinear Interaction of Intense Electromagnetic Waves with Plasmas

Current-Carrying Plasmas with Flow

Engineering Design Tools

Space Plasmas

Turbulence

Large-Scale Flows.

Particle Acceleration

Plasma Confinement and Transport

Collisionless Shocks

Chaotic Effects

Summary

10 Education in Plasma Science

DEGREE PRODUCTION AND EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS

ESTIMATE OF FUTURE SUPPLY OF PLASMA PHYSICISTS

EDUCATING NON-PLASMA STUDENTS IN PLASMA PHYSICS

GENERAL COMMENTS

PART IV Conclusion

APPENDICES

A Federal Funding Data

B Letters to Funding Agencies

C List of Agencies Contacted.

Notes:

"This project was supported by the Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-FG05-88ER53279, the National Science Foundation under Grant No. PHY-9100105, and the Office of Naval Research under Contract No. N00014-J-1728"--T.p. verso.

ISBN:

9786610193240

9780309176385

0309176387

9781280193248

1280193247

9780309577779

0309577772

9780585023427

0585023425

OCLC:

647367883