This topical volume has been written with the explicit aim to provide a high-level introductory book for a field where there were no elementary textbooks available. It addresses postgraduate students and young scientists investigating space plasma physics or planning to specialize in this field. Experienced researchers will find this book to be a comprehensive source of reference as well as a source of advanced topics for their courses.

This thesis investigates ultracold molecules as a resource for novel quantum many-body physics, in particular by utilizing their rich internal structure and strong, long-range dipole-dipole interactions. In addition, numerical methods based on matrix product states are analyzed in detail, and general algorithms for investigating the static and dynamic properties of essentially arbitrary one-dimensional quantum many-body systems are put forth. Finally, this thesis covers open-source implementations of matrix product state algorithms, as well as educational material designed to aid in the use of understanding such methods.

This volume explores the cross-linkages between the kinetic processes and macroscopic phenomena in the solar atmosphere, which are at the heart of our current understanding of the heating of the closed and open corona and the acceleration of the solar wind. The focus lies on novel data, on theoretical models that have observable consequences through remote sensing, and on near-solar and inner-heliosphere observations, such as anticipated by the upcoming Solar Orbiter and Solar Probe missions, which are currently developed by the international community. This volume is aimed at students and researchers active in solar physics and space science. Previously published in Space Science Reviews journal, Vol. 172, Nos. 1-4, 2012.

At the heart of this thesis is the young field of free electron laser science, whose experimental and theoretical basics are described here in a comprehensible manner. Extremely bright and ultra short pulses from short wavelength free-electron lasers (FELs) have recently opened the path to new fields of research. The x-ray flashes transform all matter into highly excited plasma states within femtoseconds, while their high spatial and temporal resolution allows the study of fast processes in very small structures. Even imaging of single molecules may be within reach if ultrafast radiation damage can be understood and brought under control. Atomic clusters have proven to be ideal model systems for light-matter interaction studies in all wavelength regimes, being size scalable, easy-to-produce gas phase targets with a simple structure. With FELs, "single cluster imaging and simultaneous ion spectroscopy" makes possible experiments under extremely well defined initial conditions, because the size of the cluster and the FEL intensity can be extracted from the scattering images. For the first time large xenon clusters up to micron radius were generated. Their single cluster scattering images were analyzed for cluster morphology and traces of the ultrafast plasma built-up during the femtosecond FEL pulse. The simultaneously measured single cluster ion spectra yield unprecedented insight into the ion dynamics following the interaction. The results will feed both future experimental effort and theoretical modeling.

In this thesis, the ionization of atoms and small molecules in strong laser fields is experimentally studied using a reaction microscope. The population of autoionizing doubly excited states in the laser fields is proven and a possible connection to the well-known dielectronic recombination processes is discussed. The fundamental process of tunnel ionization in strong laser fields is subject of investigation in a pump-probe experiment with ultrashort laser pulses. A coherent superposition of electronic states in singly charged argon ions is created within the first, and subsequently tunnel-ionized with the second pulse. This gives access to state-selective information about the tunneling process and allows to test common models. Moreover, the ionization of krypton and argon at different wavelengths is studied, from the multiphoton to the tunneling regime. The wavelength-dependent investigations are furthermore extended to molecular hydrogen. In addition to ionization, this system might undergo different dissociative processes. Channel-selective electron momentum distributions are presented and compared to each other.

This thesis focuses on the construction and application of an electron radiation belt kinetic model including various adiabatic and non-adiabatic processes. The terrestrial radiation belt was discovered over 50 years ago and has received a resurgence of interest in recent years. The main drivers of radiation belt research are the fundamental science questions surrounding its complex and dramatic dynamics and particularly its potential hazards posed to space-borne systems. The establishment of physics-based radiation belt models will be able to identify the contributions of various mechanisms, forecast the future radiation belt evolution and then mitigate its adverse space weather effects. Dr. Su is now an Professor works in Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.

Proceedings of the International Conference on Advanced Diagnostics for Magnetic and Inertial Fusion, held September 3-7, 2001 at Villa Monastero, Varenna, Italy.

This volume focuses on future diagnostic requirements for fusion energy research emphasizing advanced diagnostics, new techniques and areas where further progress is required.

This books aims at giving an overview over theoretical and phenomenological aspects of particle astrophysics and particle cosmology. To be of interest for both students and researchers in neighboring fields of physics, it keeps a balance between well established foundations that will not significantly change in the future and a more in-depth treatment of selected subfields in which significant new developments have been taking place recently. These include high energy particle astrophysics, such as cosmic high energy neutrinos, the interplay between detection techniques of dark matter in the laboratory and in high energy cosmic radiation, axion-like particles, and relics of the early Universe such as primordial magnetic fields and gravitational waves. It also contains exercises and thus will be suitable for both introductory and advanced courses in astroparticle physics.

This book presents two reviews from the cutting-edge of Russian plasma physics research. The first review is devoted to the mechanisms of transverse conductivity and generation of self-consistent electric fields in strongly ionized magnetized plasma. The second review considers numerous aspects of turbulent transport in plasma and fluids. This second review is focused on scaling arguments for describing anomalous diffusion in the presence of complex structures.

Laser assisted fabrication involves shaping of materials using laser as a source of heat. It can be achieved by removal of materials (laser assisted cutting, drilling, etc.), deformation (bending, extrusion), joining (welding, soldering) and addition of materials (surface cladding or direct laser cladding). This book on Laser assisted Fabrication' is aimed at developing in-depth engineering concepts on various laser assisted macro and micro-fabrication techniques with the focus on application and a review of the engineering background of different micro/macro-fabrication techniques, thermal history of the treated zone and microstructural development and evolution of properties of the treated zone.

A dense sheet of electrons accelerated to close to the speed of light can act as a tuneable mirror that can generate bright bursts of laser-like radiation in the short wavelength range simply via the reflection of a counter-propagating laser pulse. This thesis investigates the generation of such a relativistic electron mirror structure in a series of experiments accompanied by computer simulations. It is shown that such relativistic mirror can indeed be created from the interaction of a high-intensity laser pulse with a nanometer-scale, ultrathin foil. The reported work gives a intriguing insight into the complex dynamics of high-intensity laser-nanofoil interactions and constitutes a major step towards the development of a relativistic mirror, which could potentially generate bright burst of X-rays on a micro-scale.

Edward Teller Medalists: Laser Fusion Research in 30 Years (C. Yamanaka). New Basic Physics Derived from Laser Plasma Interaction (H. Hora). Lasers: Demonstration of a Nuclear FlashPumped Iodine Laser (G. Miley, W. Williams). Progress in ICF and XRay Laser Experiments at CAEP (H.S. Peng et al.). Interaction Mechanisms: Distributed Absorption and Inhibited Heat Transport (J.S. DeGroot et al.). A Survey of Ion Acoustic Decay Instabilities in Laser Produced Plasma (K. Mizuno). Inertial Fusion Energy Strategy: Advancement of Inertial Fusion Research (C. Yamanaka). Inertial Fusion Energy Results: Interaction Physics for Megajoule Laser Fusion Targets (W.L. Kruer). Related Ion Beam Interactions: Focusing and Propagation of the Proton Beam (K. Niu). Basic Phenomena: Acceleration of Electrons by Lasers in Vacuum (T. Hauser et al.). 37 additional articles. Index.

This book is devoted to the calculation of hot-plasma properties which generally requires a huge number of atomic data. It is the first book that combines information on the details of the basic atomic physics and its application to atomic spectroscopy with the use of the relevant statistical approaches. Information like energy levels, radiative rates, collisional and radiative cross-sections, etc., must be included in equilibrium or non-equilibrium models in order to describe both the atomic-population kinetics and the radiative properties. From the very large number of levels and transitions involved in complex ions, some statistical (global) properties emerge. The book presents a coherent set of concepts and compact formulas suitable for tractable and accurate calculations. The topics addressed are: radiative emission and absorption, and a dozen of other collisional and radiative processes; transition arrays between level ensembles (configurations, superconfigurations); effective temperatures of configurations, superconfigurations, and ions; charge-state distributions; radiative power losses and opacity. There are many numerical examples and comparisons with experiment presented throughout the book. The plasma properties described in this book are especially relevant to large nuclear fusion facilities such as the NIF (California) and the ITER (France), and to astrophysics. Methods relevant to the central-field configurational model are described in detail in the appendices: tensor-operator techniques, second-quantization formalism, statistical distribution moments, and the algebra of partition functions. Some extra tools are propensity laws, correlations, and fractals. These methods are applied to the analytical derivation of many properties, specially the global ones, through which the complexity is much reduced. The book is intended for graduate-level students, and for physicists working in the field.

The aim of this book is the pedagogical exploration of the basic principles of quantum-statistical thermodynamics as applied to various states of matter - ranging from rare gases to astrophysical matter with high-energy density. The reader will learn in this work that thermodynamics and quantum statistics are still the concepts on which even the most advanced research is operating - despite of a flood of modern concepts, classical entities like temperature, pressure, energy and entropy are shown to remain fundamental. The physics of gases, plasmas and high-energy density matter is still a growing field and even though solids and liquids dominate our daily life, more than 99 percent of the visible Universe is in the state of gases and plasmas and the overwhelming part of matter exists at extreme conditions connected with very large energy densities, such as in the interior of stars. This text, combining material from lectures and advanced seminars given by the authors over many decades, is a must-have introduction and reference for both newcomers and seasoned researchers alike.

During the last decade impressive development and signi?cant advance of the physics of nonideal plasmas in astrophysics and in laboratories can be observed, creating new possibilities for experimental research. The enormous progress in laser technology, but also ion beam techniques, has opened new ways for the production and diagnosis of plasmas under extreme conditions, relevant for astrophysics and inertially con?ned fusion, and for the study of laser-matter interaction. In shock wave experiments, the equation of state and further properties of highly compressed plasmas can be investigated. This experimental progress has stimulated the further development of the statistical theory of nonideal plasmas. Many new results for thermodynamic and transport properties, for ionization kinetics, dielectric behavior, for the stopping power, laser-matter interaction, and relaxation processes have been achieved in the last decade. In addition to the powerful methods of quantum statistics and the theory of liquids, numerical simulations like path integral Monte Carlo methods and molecular dynamic simulations have been applied.

This text is an introduction to the physics of collisional plasmas, as opposed to plasmas in space. It is intended for graduate students in physics and engineering . The first chapter introduces with progressively increasing detail, the fundamental concepts of plasma physic. The motion of individual charged particles in various configurations of electric and magnetic fields is detailed in the second chapter while the third chapter considers the collective motion of the plasma particles described according to a hydrodynamic model. The fourth chapter is most original in that it introduces a general approach to energy balance, valid for all types of discharges comprising direct current(DC) and high frequency (HF) discharges, including an applied static magnetic field. The basic concepts required in this fourth chapter have been progressively introduced in the previous chapters.

The text is enriched with approx. 100 figures, and alphabetical index and 45 fully resolved problems. Mathematical and physical appendices provide complementary information or allow to go deeper in a given subject.

This book describes the fascinating recent advances made concerning the chaos, stability and instability of semiconductor lasers, and discusses their applications and future prospects in detail. It emphasizes the dynamics in semiconductor lasers by optical and electronic feedback, optical injection, and injection current modulation. Applications of semiconductor laser chaos, control and noise, and semiconductor lasers are also demonstrated. Semiconductor lasers with new structures, such as vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers and broad-area semiconductor lasers, are intriguing and promising devices. Current topics include fast physical number generation using chaotic semiconductor lasers for secure communication, development of chaos, quantum-dot semiconductor lasers and quantum-cascade semiconductor lasers, and vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers. This fourth edition has been significantly expanded to reflect the latest developments. The fundamental theory of laser chaos and the chaotic dynamics in semiconductor lasers are discussed, but also for example the method of self-mixing interferometry in quantum-cascade lasers, which is indispensable in practical applications. Further, this edition covers chaos synchronization between two lasers and the application to secure optical communications. Another new topic is the consistency and synchronization property of many coupled semiconductor lasers in connection with the analogy of the dynamics between synaptic neurons and chaotic semiconductor lasers, which are compatible nonlinear dynamic elements. In particular, zero-lag synchronization between distant neurons plays a crucial role for information processing in the brain. Lastly, the book presents an application of the consistency and synchronization property in chaotic semiconductor lasers, namely a type of neuro-inspired information processing referred to as reservoir computing.

The review articles collected in this volume present a critical assessment of particle acceleration mechanisms and observations from suprathermal particles in the magnetosphere and heliosphere to high-energy cosmic rays, thus covering a range of energies over seventeen orders of magnitude, from 103 eV to 1020 eV. The main themes are observations of accelerated populations from the magnetosphere to extragalactic scales and assessments of the physical processes underlying particle acceleration in different environments (magnetospheres, the solar atmosphere, the heliosphere, supernova remnants, pulsar wind nebulae and relativistic outflows). Several contributions review the status of shock acceleration in different environments and also the role of turbulence in particle acceleration. Observational results are compared with modelling in different parameter regimes. The book concludes with contributions on the status of particle acceleration research and its future perspectives. This volume is aimed at graduate students and researchers active in astrophysics and space science. Previously published in Space Science Reviews journal, Vol. 173 Nos. 1-4, 2012.

This book deals with solving mathematically the unsteady flame propagation equations. New original mathematical methods for solving complex non-linear equations and investigating their properties are presented. Pole solutions for flame front propagation are developed. Premixed flames and filtration combustion have remarkable properties: the complex nonlinear integro-differential equations for these problems have exact analytical solutions described by the motion of poles in a complex plane. Instead of complex equations, a finite set of ordinary differential equations is applied. These solutions help to investigate analytically and numerically properties of the flame front propagation equations.

Plasma Physics: Confinement, Transport and Collective Effects provides an overview of modern plasma research with special focus on confinement and related issues. Beginning with a broad introduction, the book leads graduate students and researchers also those from related fields - to an understanding of the state-of-the-art in modern plasma physics. Furthermore, it presents a methodological cross section ranging from plasma applications and plasma diagnostics to numerical simulations, the latter providing an increasingly important link between theory and experiment. Effective references guide the reader from introductory texts through to contemporary research. Some related exercises in computational plasma physics are supplied on a special web site

Life was simple when the dynamic, the spectral and the resolving powers of our instruments were small. One observed whole objects - planets, stars, sunspots, galaxies, often in rainbow colours. Then the revolution occurred: we acquired the centimetric eyes, the mil limetric eyes, the infrared eyes, the ultraviolet eyes, the X-ray eyes and the, -ray eyes. With these we see mottles on the surface of stars, streams in sunspots, and spirals in nuclei of galaxies. We see regions of multiple mass densities and temperatures in a precari ous balance, losing it occasionally, exhaling flares. The universe is timed, cosmic phenomena are clocked; eternity is lost and variabil ity is bought. Microarcsecond resolutions revealed stirring and siz zling interiors underneath serene surfaces. Short durations and small scales demanded employing a discipline with similar attributes - the discipline of Plasmas and Fluids - known more for its complexity than for its felicity. Some would like to wish it away. We shall learn about plasmas for it is too little familiarity that breeds fear. Complexity can be systemized, to a large extent, by looking for a common denominator among apparently disparate phe nomena. It is not immediately obvious what the contents and the style of a graduate level course on plasmas and fluids aimed at understanding astrophysical phenomena should be. Plasmas and fluids are huge subjects by themselves. The cosmic phenomena where plasmas and fluids playa definite role are equally diverse and numerous."

This second volume of the Charged Particle Traps deals with the rapidly expanding body of research exploiting the electromagnetic con?nement of ions, whose principles and techniques were the subject of volume I. These applications include revolutionary advances in diverse ?elds, ranging from such practical ?elds as mass spectrometry, to the establishment of an ult- stable standard of frequency and the emergent ?eld of quantum computing made possible by the observation of the quantum behavior of laser-cooled con?nedions. Bothexperimentalandtheoreticalactivity intheseapplications has proliferated widely, and the number of diverse articles in the literature on its many facets has reached the point where it is useful to distill and organize the published work in a uni?ed volume that de?nes the current status of the ?eld. As explained in volume I, the technique of con?ning charged particles in suitable electromagnetic ?elds was initially conceived by W. Paul as a thr- dimensional version of his rf quadrupole mass ?lter. Its ?rst application to rf spectroscopy on atomic ions was completed in H. G. Dehmelt's laboratory where notable work was later done on the free electron using the Penning trap. The further exploitation of these devices has followed more or less - dependently along the two initial broad areas: mass spectrometry and high resolution spectroscopy. In volume I a detailed account is given of the theory of operation and experimental techniques of the various forms of Paul and Penning ion traps.

A discussion of explosive pulsed power systems and their applications, this book consists of 7 chapters. The first five describe the basic physics of these sources and their ancillary equipment, based on a manual for training engineers in Russia. Chapter 6 is a description of codes and methodologies used at Loughborough University in the UK to build flux compressors, while Chapter 7 covers two specific applications: high power lasers and high power microwave sources. The book introduces all types of explosive power sources and their ancillary equipment, the procedures required to build them, and specific applications.

Non-thermal (cold) plasmas at atmospheric pressure have recently found many breakthrough applications in biology, medicine, and food security. Plasmas can efficiently kill bacteria, yeasts, moulds, spores, biofilms and other hazardous microorganisms, including potential bio-terrorism agents. They can be employed for bio-decontamination and sterilization of surfaces, medical instruments, water, air, food, even of living tissues without causing their damage. Direct or indirect plasma interaction with living cells of microorganisms or even humans enables novel bio-medical applications, e.g. treatment of skin diseases and ulcers. Plasma-enhanced blood coagulation coupled with its antiseptic properties proved success in wound healing and opens new possibilities in surgery, emergency medicine and military applications. Plasma treatment allows cell manipulations, their removal and targeted transfer into the injured area, which can accelerate wound healing. Plasma induced apoptosis (programmed cell death) of tumor cells brings forth a great potential for cancer treatment. Besides, plasma enables painless treatment of dental caries, root canal disinfection, and other dentistry applications. This book is a selection of reviewed manuscripts issuing from the NATO Advanced Research Workshop Plasma for bio-decontamination, medicine and food security held in Jasna, Slovakia, on 15-18 March 2011. It provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge and research activities focused at the plasma applications in areas such as bio-decontamination, water chemistry, effects on cells; biofilm inactivation, UV sterilization, and medicine, especially tissue treatment and wound healing, as well as dentistry and food security.

This book presents a thorough treatment of plasma physics, beginning at an introductory level and proceeding to an extensive discussion of its applications in thermonuclear fusion research. The physics of fusion plasmas is explained mainly in relation to recent progress in tokamak research, but other plasma confinement schemes, such as stellarators and inertial confinement, are also described. The unique and systematic presentation will help readers to understand the overall structure of plasma theory.