The physics of plasmas is an extremely rich and complex subject as the variety of topics addressed in this book demonstrates. This richness and complexity demands new and powerful techniques for investigating plasma physics. An outgrowth from his graduate course teaching, now with corrections, Tajima's text provides not only a lucid introduction to computational plasma physics, but also offers the reader many examples of the way numerical modeling, properly handled, can provide valuable physical understanding of the nonlinear aspects so often encountered in both laboratory and astrophysical plasmas. Included here are computational methods for modern nonlinear physics as applied to hydrodynamic turbulence, solitons, fast reconnection of magnetic fields, anomalous transports, dynamics of the sun, and more. The text contains examples of problems now solved using computational techniques including those concerning finite-size particles, spectral techniques, implicit differencing, gyrokinetic approaches, and particle simulation.

This volume, which contains 15 contributions, is based on a minicourse held at the 1987 IEEE Plasma Science Meeting. The purpose of the lectures in the course was to acquaint the students with the multidisciplinary nature of computational techniques and the breadth of research areas in plasma science in which computation can address important physics and engineering design issues. These involve: electric and magnetic fields, MHD equations, chemistry, radiation, ionization etc. The contents of the contributions, written subsequent to the minicourse, stress important aspects of computer applications. They are: 1) the numerical methods used; 2) the range of applicability; 3) how the methods are actually employed in research and in the design of devices; and, as a compendium, 4) the multiplicity of approaches possible for any one problem. The materials in this book are organized by both subject and applications which display some of the richness in computational plasma physics.

An introduction to magnetohydrodynamics combining theory with advanced topics including the applications of plasma physics to thermonuclear fusion and plasma astrophysics.

Assuming no prior knowledge of plasma physics or numerical methods, Computational Methods in Plasma Physics covers the computational mathematics and techniques needed to simulate magnetically confined plasmas in modern magnetic fusion experiments and future magnetic fusion reactors. Largely self-contained, the text presents the basic concepts neces