Astrophysical plasmas and fluids

TL;DR

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to astrophysical plasmas and fluids, covering fundamental physical processes, descriptions, and their roles in the universe, aimed at graduate students and researchers.

Contribution

It offers an integrated approach using the Liouville equation to derive plasma and fluid descriptions, emphasizing their astrophysical applications and radiative signatures.

Findings

Derivation of plasma and fluid models from the Liouville equation

Application of models to astrophysical configurations and radiative signatures

Educational resource for understanding plasma physics in astronomy

Abstract

This book is a valuable introduction to astrophyscial plasmas and fluids for graduate students of astronomy preparing either for a research career in the field or just aspiring to achieve a decent degree of familiarity with 99% of the cosmos. The contents provide a true representation of the phenomenal diversity of dominant roles that plasmas and fluids play in the near and far reaches of the universe. The breadth of coverage of basic physical processes is a particularly attractive feature of this text book. By first using the Liouville equation to derive the kinetic, the two-fluid and single-fluid, descriptions of a plasma and a fluid, and then demonstrating the use of these descriptions for specific situations in the rest of the book, the author has probably chosen the most efficient way of handling this large technical subject. The two major astrophysical issues, fluid or plasma configurations and their radiative signatures, figure prominently througout the book. The problems are designed to give the reader a feel for the quantititative properties of celestial objects.