Proceedings of Symposium No. 107 held in College Park, Maryland, U.S.A., August 8-11, 1983

This illustrated monograph explores the fundamentals, current practice, and theoretical perspectives of modern plasma astrophysics. The opening part covers basic principles and practical tools for understanding and working with plasma astrophysics. The second section examines the physics of magnetic reconnection and flares of electromagnetic origin in space plasmas in the solar system, and more. Designed mainly for professional researchers, it will be useful to graduate students in space sciences and geophysics.

This book is the first to provide students and researchers in the field of astrophysical jets with a comprehensive and up-to-date account of current research. An important feature of the book is that it combines discussions of both extragalactic and Galactic jets. There are ten chapters, authored by fourteen active researchers, each of whom is an expert on their chosen topic, and the book has been edited to provide a cohesive account of this field of study. This is the first volume to integrate studies of jets on all length scales. It will be an important textbook for graduate students, and a valuable reference source for researchers in many areas of extragalactic and Galactic astronomy. It will also be of interest to plasma physicists and space scientists.

The book presents the most recent developments of laboratory studies in astrophysics and space research. The individual chapters review laboratory investigations under simulated space conditions, studies for the design of successful space experiments or for supporting the interpretation of astronomical and space mission recorded data. Related theoretical models, numerical simulations and in situ observations demonstrate the necessity of experimental work on the Earth's surface. The expertise of the contributing scientists covers a broad spectrum and is included in general overviews from fundamental science to recent space technology. The book intends to serve as a reference for researchers and graduate students on the most recent activities and results in laboratory astrophysics, and to give reviews of their applications in astronomy, planetology, cosmochemistry, space research and Solar System exploration.

Collisionless Plasmas in Astrophysics examines the unique properties of media without collisions in plasma physics. Experts in this field, the authors present the first book to concentrate on collisionless conditions in plasmas, whether close or not to thermal equilibrium. Filling a void in scientific literature, Collisionless Plasmas in Astrophysics explains the possibilities of modeling such plasmas, using a fluid or a kinetic framework. It also addresses common misconceptions that even professionals may possess, on phenomena such as "collisionless (Landau) damping". Abundant illustrations are given in both space physics and astrophysics.