Cosmic electrodynamics. Electrodynamics and magnetic hydrodynamics of cosmic plasmas (Q1761521)

The present textbook gives a deep and detailed overview of the plasma behavior under various astrophysical conditions where electromagnetic interactions play an essential role. ``The presentation is based on a solid scientific foundation that includes well established physical laws of electromagnetism, hydrodynamics, classical and quantum mechanics, and other fields of science. Qualitative ideas and descriptions are followed by quantitative derivations and estimates of key physical quantities.'' (text of cover). To develop a better understanding of the physical problems, in most cases theoretical results are restricted to simplified analytical solutions and order-of-magnitude estimates, and no detailed numerical solutions are given. The results of the theory and of the models are compared with recent observational data obtained from numerous international science programs. It is demonstrated that cosmic electrodynamics deals with nonlinear, nonstationary, turbulent conducting fluids at strong energy release. ``Fundamental astrophysical phenomena, such as charged particle acceleration and magnetic field generation, are presented along with spectacular phenomena, such as stellar winds (including ultra-relativistic pulsar wind), supernova explosions and the evolution of its remnants'' (text of cover), solar flares, active galactic nuclei, and gamma-ray burst sources. The textbook has been written based on graduate and undergraduate courses and seminars held by the authors at the State Polytechnic University of St. Petersburg and the New Jersey Institute of Technology over more than half a century. The material of the book is ordered by increasing complexity, ``it begins with basic concepts and linear processes including linear eigenmodes (Chapters 1--3), then considers instabilities, weak and strong nonlinearity, and turbulence (Chapters 4--6), and finally addresses key astrophysical problems of particle acceleration and transport, magnetic field generation, and electromagnetic radiation including self-consistent nonlinear models (Chapters 7--12). Later chapters extensively use the material given in earlier chapters.'' (pp.\ vi-vii). The book contains a long list of well-chosen references for further reading. In detail, Chapter 1 of the book gives some general information about cosmic media and approaches to their analyses. A brief overview on the typical parameters of terrestrial, solar and astrophysical plasmas is presented. Relativistic single-particle motion in electromagnetic fields, drifts and adiabatic invariants are discussed. The text focuses on the classical statistical treatment of a plasma, the kinetic theory and magnetohydrodynamic approximations. Ohm's law in a partially-ionized collisional plasma is given. Plasmas in weak magnetic fields and anisotropic matter in strong magnetic fields are considerd, and approximate analytical estimates of basic kinetic coefficients are presented (using the Spitzer theory). Chapter 2 deals with the magnetohydrodynamics of cosmic plasmas. It starts with the hydrodynamic equations of a neutral gas, introduces the system of magnetohydrodynamic equations, offers the idea of the so-called ``quiescent prominence model'', explains the notions magnetic diffusion, magnetic reconnection, and freezing-in of the magnetic field, and discusses linear (Alfvén, magneto-sonic) magnetohydrodynamic waves. Solar and, generally, stellar winds are considered as examples. How a plasma responds to a weak external electromagnetic force is discussed in Chapter 3. Here first the polarization model of the plasma is introduced, and the plasma dispersion as well as the properties of linear eigenmodes of anisotropic and gyrotropic media are analysed in the general case. Then the authors proceed to treat astrophysical plasmas in magnetic fields. They start with the simple approximation for a cold electron-ion plasma, consider multi-component plasmas with helium contributions at different stages of ionization. Further, the kinetic approach to describe collisionless plasmas with finite temperature is explained. Landau wave damping in equilibrium plasmas is discussed. As example, Bernstein modes in hot collisionless plasmas are considered. Finally, based on the system of magnetohydrodynamic equations including friction forces, the dispersion of waves in collisional plasmas is derived. Dispersion relations for low- and high-frequency waves are given. The linear wave damping -- which is proportional to the wave amplitude introduced in Chapter 3 -- is only valid for small wave amplitudes to keep all nonlinear effects negligible. A large wave amplitude will affect the plasma distribution function and cause a nonlinear interaction of different wave modes, which results in a modification of the wave spectrum. Processes of the first kind, called wave-particle interaction, and of the second kind, called wave-wave interactions are considered in Chapter 4. As examples two-stream instabilities, plasma waves excited by electron beams and the Weibel instability are reviewed. The quasilinear approximation of the kinetic plasma theory is explained. Three-wave interaction, nonlinear scattering of waves by particles, and wave turbulence are considered. In Chapter 5 on nonlinear magnetohydrodynamic waves and discontinuities, a number of important examples of nonlinear waves -- simple waves, solitons, and discontinuities are presented using exact or approximate analytical methods. For instance, in case of simple waves, entropy waves without dissipation are discussed in one-dimensional geometry assuming single-valued plasma parameters with respect to space and time. The phenomenon of Korteweg-de Vries solitons is explained. Magnetic reconnection and magnetohydrodynamic discontinuities of the interplanetary medium are briefly mentioned. The structure of magnetohydrodynamic shock waves, supernovae explosions and the evolution of its remnants, as well as strong explosions in an inhomogeneous medium are discussed. Chapter 6 deals with the instability of the magnetohydrodynamic motion and with astrophysical magnetohydrodynamic turbulence. There both the method of small perturbations and the magnetohydrodynamic energy principle are applied. The chapter starts with the analysis of the gravitational instability using the method of small perturbations for the system of continuity equation and momentum balance. Here no external electric field is taken into account. Fundamentals of the convective instability due to nonuniform heating along the gravitation and/or inertia force are reviewed. The stabilities of the contact discontinuity separating two conducting fluids with different densities (Rayleigh-Taylor instability) and of a tangential discontinuity in an incompressible conducting fluid (Kelvin-Helmholtz instability) are analysed. The physics leading to a radiative thermal instability (Field's instability) is explained. The physical picture of turbulent motion and the turbulence theory by Kolmogorov and Obukhov are introduced. Weak magnetohydrodynamic turbulence in incompressible conducting fluids with magnetic field and turbulence composed of shock waves and discontinuities are described. The micro- or macroscopic transport of neutral and charged particles plays a fundamental role in astrophysics. Therefore, Chapter 7 considers the particle transport in turbulent cosmic media. It starts with the study of a free-streaming test particle which is not influenced by an external field. Then the diffusion of an admixture in a steady plasma, the transfer of an admixture in a turbulent fluid, the transport of fast particles in a random magnetic field, diffusion in a strong magnetic field with large-scale turbulence, as well as ambipolar diffusion stimulated by energetic particles are discussed. As origin and evolution of magnetic fields is a fundamental astrophysical question, the topic of Chapter 8 is the dynamo mechanism of large-scale magnetic field generation. By the turbulent dynamo mechanism introduced, a primary magnetic seed field may be amplified, under certain conditions, by mechanical motions of ionized electro-conducting gases or fluids. In the chapter, first examples of laminar dynamos are discussed. Then the turbulent dynamo problem is treated. Therefore the terms helical turbulence and kinetic helicity are introduced. To simplify the presentation of the dynamo problem, the approximation of short correlation times and the mean field approach are used. A few examples are given, e.g.\ a magnetic field amplified by a helically turbulent fluid. Further, nonlinear effects in the dynamo theory are shortly mentioned. As special examples of magnetic field generation in stars and galaxies, a dynamo in a galactic disk and in stars, especially the generation of superstrong magnetic fields in neutron stars and the solar dynamo, are considered. Chapter 9 addresses the radiation flux produced by an anisotropic, dispersive and weakly absorbing plasma. Here the energy loss of an electric current in an anisotropic absorbing medium is derived, and the emission of waves by a given current is estimated. The focus is on emissions by rectilinearly moving particles, when their velocity is constant or can be considered to be constant (Vavilov-Cherenkov radiation). In the second case, a weak nonzero acceleration is assumed to be taken into account in the perturbation theory. Further, Thomson scattering and inverse Compton effects are discussed. The phenomena of bremsstrahlung, gyro emission, diffusive synchrotron radiation, and transition radiation are introduced. Propagating through a medium, the electromagnetic radiation changes due to emission, absorption, scattering, and nonlinear wave transformations. Therefore, Chapter 10 considers the most fundamental elements of radiation transfer theory. It starts with the derivation of the radiation transfer equation. Then gyrosynchrotron radiation transfer and electron-cyclotron maser emissions from a source with random inhomogeneities are discussed. Concerning nonlinear processes, the authors deal with the stimulated scattering of transverse waves on thermal ions and the nonlinear conversion of plasma waves into transverse waves. A few examples of the application of the radiation theory to space plasmas are presented, e.g.\ to solar radio spikes and coherent plasma radiation from the solar corona. The highest detected energy of a single cosmic ray particle is about \(3\cdot10^{20}\) eV. The problem how such high-energy particles are generated in astrophysics is not yet finally solved, but different approaches exist. Some of the acceleration processes in nonstationary plasmas are considered in Chapter 11. Based on the discussion of the change of particle energies by a regular electric field, a number of general conclusions is made regarding acceleration in natural plasmas. Further, accelerations by a stochastic medium motion (Fermi mechanism) and by helical turbulence, as well as second-order acceleration effects for regular plasma motions are reviewed. The evolution of particle spectra is evaluated solving a diffusion equation where acceleration effects are included. Also adiabatic loss, real space diffusion, and advective transport are addressed in a sequential order. The authors also deal with the acceleration of charged particles by magnetohydrodynamic shock waves and the acceleration by supersonic turbulence. As applications solar flares and ions emitted by the sun, as well as galactic superbubbles are considered. The final Chapter 12 attempts to represent some basic ideas and to derive selected results concerning the ultrarelativistic component of astrophysical plasmas. i.e.\ galactic and extragalactic cosmic rays, ultrarelativistic pulsar winds or jets, and shock waves in active galactic nuclei. In particular, it is shown ``that the nuclear component of galactic cosmic rays and a significant fraction of the electron component are produced at extended supernova remnants, a fraction of cosmic ray electrons and positrons is generated by neutron stars (pulsars) whose atmosphere contains relativistic electron-positron plasmas and by pulsar nebulae, while ultra-high-energy extragalactic cosmic rays are likely to be generated by sources of cosmological gamma-ray bursts'' (p.\ 607). The textbook is intended for undergraduate and graduate students, but it may also be used as a reference book by active researchers in astrophysics, space physics, and geophysics.