Fusion

This topic consists of 6 lectures, 1 assignment and a test (duration 45 minutes).

Lecturer: Barry Green

Phone: 9285 2968

Textbooks and recommended reading

The material used in this set of lectures comes from different sources and there is no prescribed textbook.

Recommended reading

Introduction to Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion Volume 1 Plasma Physics, Francis F. Chen (Plenum Press)

Course Outline

1. Introduction to Plasmas (notes/slides): What is a plasma? Collective behaviour, Debye shielding, The plasma parameter, Different types of plasma and their applications
2. Description of Plasmas (notes/slides): Plasmas as fluids, Relation of plasma physics to ordinary electromagnetics, Maxwell’s equations, Classical treatment of magnetic materials, Classical treatment of dielectrics, The dielectric constant of a plasma, Kinetic theory (brief introduction), The Boltzmann equation, Derivation of the fluid equations, Applicability of kinetic theory, Equation of continuity, Fluid equation of motion, Equation of state, The complete set of fluid equations, Fluid drifts perpendicular to B, Fluid drifts parallel to B, The plasma approximation, Collisions in a fully ionized plasma, Plasma resistivity, Physical meaning of η, The single fluid MHD equations
3. Waves in Plasmas (notes/slides): Representation of waves, Group velocity, Waves in an umagnetised plasma, Plasma oscillations, Electron plasma waves, Ion waves; Sound waves, Ion acoustic waves, Waves in a magnetized plasma, Electrostatic electron oscillations perpendicular to B₀, electrostatic ion waves perpendicular to B₀, Lower hybrid frequency, Electromagnetic waves with B₀ = 0, Electromagnetic waves perpendicular to B₀, Electromagnetic waves parallel to B₀, Hydromagnetic waves
4. Plasma Equilibrium and Stability (notes/slides): Introduction, Hydromagnetic equilibrium, Diffusion of a magnetic field into a plasma, Plasma instabilities
5. Fusion 1 (notes/slides): Atomic and nuclear structure, The mass defect and nuclear binding energy, Nuclear processes in the sun, Fusion reactions, Fusion reactor concept, How to exploit fusion reactions, The conditions for net fusion power production, The advantages of fusion
6. Fusion 2 (notes/slides): The tokamak, Tokamak equilibrium, Particle orbits in a tokamak, Heating the plasma, Plasma surface interactions, Diagnostics, Tokamak experimental , The ITER Project, The international fusion programme, The Australian fusion research effort

Aim

To communicate the importance of plasma physics and to introduce some of the topics of importance in the study of plasmas. In particular the research and development of controlled fusion as an important large-scale energy source of the future will be described in some detail.