A self-contained introduction to magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), with emphasis on nonlinear processes. Chapters 2 to 4 outline the conventional aspects of MHD theory, magnetostatic equilibrium and linear stability theory, which form a natural basis for the topics in the subsequent chapters. The main part, chapters 5 to 7, presents nonlinear theory, starting with the evolutions and saturations of individual ideas and resistive instabilities, continuing with a detailed analysis of magnetic reconnection, and concluding with the most complex nonlinear behaviour, that of MHD turbulence. The last chapters describe three important applications of the theory: disruptive processes in tokamaks, MHD effects in reversed-field pinches, and solar flares. In the presentation the focus is more on physical mechanisms than on special formalisms. The book is essential reading for researchers and graduate students interested in MHD processes both in laboratory and in astrophysical plasmas.

Book Information
ISBN 9780521599184
Author Dieter Biskamp
Format Paperback
Page Count 396
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 650g