Physics 218A | Fall 2018

Lecture Notes

This page was last updated 06 Dec 2018.


2018 Lecture Notes

Lecture 1: Plasma on the Back of an Envelopeposted 01 October 2018

Lecture 2: Basic Collective Dynamics and Wave Energyposted 04 October 2018

Lecture 2 Supplement: Variational Thoery of Wave Adiabaticsposted 04 October 2018

Lecture 3: Nonlinear Waves I — Gas Dynamic Shocksposted 08 October 2018

Lecture 3 Supplement: Energy Productionposted 11 October 2018

Lecture 4: Nonlinear Waves II — Ion-Acoustic Solitonsposted 11 October 2018

Lecture 5: Kinetics — A Crash Course, Iposted 15 October 2018

Lecture 6: Kinetics — A Crash Course, IIposted 18 October 2018

Supplementary Notes: From Liouville to Fokker–Planckposted 18 October 2018

Lecture 7: The Vlasov Equationposted 22 October 2018

Lecture 8: Collisionless Plasma Waves and Landau Damping Iposted 22 October 2018

Lecture 9: Landau Damping II — Formal Theoryposted 29 October 2018

Lecture 10: Test Particle Model and Fluctuations at Equilibriumposted 29 October 2018

Supplementary Notes: Notes on Thermal Equilibrium Fluctuations and Relaxationposted 29 October 2018

Lecture 11a: Homogenization and Single Wave Nonlinear Evolutionposted 15 November 2018

Lecture 11b: Single Wave Trappingposted 19 November 2018

Lecture 12: Relaxation, Instabilities, and Landau Equationposted 19 November 2018

Lectures 13-15: Quasilinear Theory and its Applicationsposted 26 November 2018

Lectures 16, 17: Overview of Nonlinear Plasma Phenomena; Overview of Langmuir Turbulenceposted 03 December 2018

Book Chapter: Disparate Scale Interactionsposted 03 December 2018

Lecture 18: Nonlinear WaveÓParticle Interactionposted 06 December 2018



2017 Lecture Notes

Lecture 1: Plasmas on the Back-of-an-Envelope - posted 10 January 2017

Lecture 2: Elementary Plasma Waves - posted 17 January 2017

Lecture 3: Wave Energy and Momentum, Negative Energy Waves - posted 17 January 2017

Variational Approach to Wave Action --

Adiabatic Theory and Wave Action Density and Notes on Wave Action Density and Modulations - posted 17 January 2017


Lecture 4: Basics of Equilibrium Fluctuations - Fluctuation Dissipation Theorem - posted 17 January 2017

Lectures 4-5: Kinetic Theory of Plasma Waves and Physics of Landau Damping - posted 17 January 2017

Lecture 5-Supplement: Vlasov Equation, Meaning and Origin - posted 23 January 2017

Lectures 5-6: Formal Theory of Landau Damping - posted 23 January 2017

Lecture 6: Thermal Equilibrium and Test Particle Model 1 - posted 23 January 2017

Lecture 7: Thermal Equilibrium Spectrum - posted 30 January 2017

Lecture 7: Supplement: Supplementary Notes on Thermal Equilibrium - posted 30 January 2017

Lecture 8: Transport 1A-Boltzmann Equation and H-Theorem - posted 30 January 2017

Lecture 8: Transport 1B-Landau Collision Integral - posted 30 January 2017

Lecture 8c: Screening Effects on Landau Collision Integral - posted 1 February 2017

Lectures 9-10a: Basics of Diffusion - posted 6 February 2017

Lectures 9-10b: Kinetic Equations with Flocus on Fokker-Planck - posted 6 February 2017

Lectures 9-10c: Another Look at Fokker-Planck - posted 6 February 2017

Lecture 10: Rosenbluth Potentials - posted 8 February 2017

Lectures 11-12: Transport Miscellany: Dreicer Field and Collective Enhancement - posted 13 February 2017

Lectures 12-13: Basics of Quasilinear Theory - posted 13 February 2017

Sweet-Parker Reconnection - posted 1 March 2017

Overview of Quasilinear Theory - posted 1 March 2017

Guide to Posts on Hamiltonian Chaos - posted 1 March 2017

Basics of Nonlinear Phenomena - posted 1 March 2017

Basics of Turbulence - posted 1 March 2017

Deriving the Zakharov Equations - posted 1 March 2017

Introduction to Langmuir Turbulence - posted 1 March 2017

Detailed Notes on Turbulence - posted 7 March 2017


2016 Lecture Notes

Lectures 1-2: Plasmas on the Back-of-an-Envelope - posted 08 January 2015

Lectures 1-2: Basic Plasma Waves - posted 07 January 2016

Lecture 3: Wave Energy and Momentum - REposted 13 January 2016

Variational Approach to Wave Action --

Adiabatic Theory and Wave Action Density and Notes on Wave Action Density and Modulations - posted 11 January 2016

Lecture 4: Basics of Collisions - posted 13 January 2016

Lecture 4: Thermal Equilibrium Basics - REposted 25 January 2016

Lecture 5: Kinetic Theory of Waves and Landau Damping - posted 25 January 2016

Lecture 6: Formal Theory of Landau Damping - posted 25 January 2016

Lectures 7-8: Test Particle Model of Thermal Equilibrium - I - posted 27 January 2016

Lectures 7-8: Test Particle Model - Fluctuation Spectrum - II - REPOSTED 1 February 2016

Lectures 7-8: Test Particle Model of Thermal Equilibrium - III - posted 27 January 2017

Lectures 9-10: Transport 1 - posted 2 February 2016

Transport 1, Addendum: Screening Effects in Landau Collision Operator - posted 3 February 2016

Lectures 9-10: Transport and Diffusion Basics - posted 2 February 2016

Lectures 9-10: OV of Kinetic Equations - posted 2 February 2016

Lecture 11a: Transport - posted 16 February 2016

Lecture 11b: Transport - posted 16 February 2016

Lectures 12-13: Basics of Quasilinear Theory - posted 16 February 2016

Lectures 12-13: On the 'Quasilinear Theory' of the Vlasov Plasma: Status of Dynamical Friction and Subcritical Growth Theory - P.H. Diamond - posted 17 February 2016

Lectures 12-13: Guide to Material on Hamiltonian Chaos - posted 17 February 2016

Lectures 14-15: Nonlinear Plasma I - Basics of Turbulence - posted 22 February 2016

OV of Nonlinear Phenomena - posted 29 February 2016

Lectures 14-15: Nonlinear Plasma I - Detailed Notes on Turbulence - posted 22 February 2016

Lectures 16-17: Nonlinear Plasma II - Introduction to Langmuir Turbulence - posted 29 February 2016

Lectures 17-18: Langmuir Turbulence II - posted 7 March 2016


2015 Lecture Notes

Lectures 3-4-5: Linear R.-T. and ICF Background - Reposted 27 January 2015

Lectures 5-6-7: Nonlinear R.-T. - Layzer Solution - Bubble Penetration - Multi-Bubbles/Mix - Reposted 27 January 2015

Misc -- Spherical R.-T. - Supplement - posted 27 January 2015

Lectures 8-9: Thermal Equilibrium, Test Particle Model and Landau Damping-I - posted 27 January 2015

Lectures 8-9: Thermal Equilibrium, Test Particle Model and Landau Damping-II - posted 27 January 2015

Lectures 8-9: Thermal Equilibrium, Test Particle Model and Landau Damping-III - posted 27 January 2015

Lectures 8-9: Thermal Equilibrium, Test Particle Model and Landau Damping-IV - posted 27 January 2015

Lecture 10: Waves and Instabilities - posted 4 February 2015

Lectures 11-12: Quasilinear Theory - posted 9 February 2015

Intro to Transport and Relaxation - Reposted 25 February 2015

Lectures 13-14: Kinetic Equations - posted 11 February 2015

Lectures 15-16: Collision Theory and Rosenbluth Potentials - posted 20 February 2015

Lectures 15-16: Collision Theory - posted 24 February 2015

Lecture 17: Disparate Scale Interaction - posted 20 February 2015

-- Chapter 7 (D-I-I)

-- Diamond-Hong Notes

See also Falkovich

Self-Focusing Notes - posted 23 February 2015

Lecture 18: DSI-Diamond and Hong - posted 20 February 2015

Lectures 19-20: Chapter 5 (D-I-I) - posted 23 February 2015