Introduction to Modern Magnetohydrodynamics

Description

Ninety-nine percent of ordinary matter in the Universe is in the form of ionized fluids, or plasmas. The study of the magnetic properties of such electrically conducting fluids, magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), has become a central theory in astrophysics, as well as in areas such as engineering and geophysics. This textbook offers a comprehensive introduction to MHD and its recent applications, in nature and in laboratory plasmas; from the machinery of the Sun and galaxies, to the cooling of nuclear reactors and the geodynamo. It exposes advanced undergraduate and graduate students to both classical and modern concepts, making them aware of current research and the ever-widening scope of MHD. Rigorous derivations within the text, supplemented by over 100 illustrations and followed by exercises and worked solutions at the end of each chapter, provide an engaging and practical introduction to the subject and an accessible route into this wide-ranging field.

Sebastien Galtier is a professor of astrophysics at the Universite Paris-Saclay, France. His research focusses on magnetohydrodynamic turbulence and he has published widely in the field. He was President of the French National Program in Solar Physics (CNRS) from 2010 to 2014, and is an honorary member of the prestigious Institut Universitaire de France.

'With an appealing combination of background material and carefully selected mathematics, Galtier succeeds in presenting the flavor of each topic. His approach manages to whet readers' appetites without overwhelming them with lengthy derivations or excessive technicalities. The manageable level of detail and the modest length of the book make it suitable as an accompaniment to a graduate lecture course, which is indeed how the text originated. Particularly noteworthy is the inclusion of material on the Hall effect, which reflects a growing interest in that phenomenon in the context of MHD ... Galtier's attractive and concise volume joins several excellent modern introductory textbooks with somewhat different styles and emphases. ... I would recommend Introduction to Modern Magnetohydrodynamics to students - especially graduate students - learning the basics of this exciting field.' Gordon Ogilvie, Physics Today