Problem set 1.

Due Jan 25 in class

January 31, 2011
At the Suns photosphere, estimate ionization fraction, particle mean free path, e e and i i collision frequency, temperature equilibration times scale, electron plasma frequency, Debye radius, electron and ion cyclotron frequency and Larmor radii, electron skin depth and plasma parameter T = 6000 K, n = 104 cc, B = 1 G. Let the ionization fraction be ni /n0 = . Then ne = ni = n0 and Saha equation becomes 2 = e/(kB T ) /(N 3 1 = For the parameters given = 0.99998 Mean free path l= 1 n e4 /(kB T )2 ln l = 105 cm, for ln = 30 Collision times T 3/2 me = ee = 3 1013 sec1 ve ne4 ii = ee mi /me = 1011 sec1 vi Equilibration time scale eq = mi ee = 7 1010 sec1 me (5) (3) (2) 2 h2 me kB T (1)

(4)

Electron plasma frequency p,e = 4ne2 /me = 5 106 sec1 (6)

Electron cyclotron frequency B,e = Ion cyclotron frequency B,i = Electron Debye radius rD,e = vT,e /p,e = 5cm Ion Debye rD,i = vT,i /p,i = 5cm Electron Larmor radius rL,e = vT,e /B,e = 1.7cm Ion Larmor radius rL,i = vT,i /B,i = 74cm Electron skin depth e = c/p = 5 103 cm Plasma parameter
3 = 4nrD = 2 107

eB = 1.8 107 rad/sec me c

(7)

eB = 104 rad/sec mi c

(8)

(9)

(10)

(11)

(12) (13) (14)

Show that in non-relativistic plasma, T mc2 , the electrostatic Coulomb force between particles is much larger than magnetic Lorentz force. v Fc eE, FL = e B c v E en1/3 , B e n1/3 c Fc 2 (c/v ) > 1 (15) FL A beam of electrons is accelerated to energy 10 keV and propagates through plasma of density 1015 cc. Estimate penetration depth due to binary collisions. Assume Coulomb logarithm = 30. (Also assume that the beam is faster than electron and ion thermal motion). (e4 /T 2 ) ln c 1/(n ) = 1.6 105 cm (16)