Alexandria University ‫جامعة اإلسكندرية‬

Faculty of Engineering ‫كلية الهندسة‬

Nuclear & Radiation Engineering Dept. ‫قسم الهندسة النووية واإلشعاعية‬
May 31, 2020 2020 ‫ مايو‬31
Course title Number: Electromagnetics & ‫ النظرية الكهرومغناطبسبة‬:‫اسم المقرر والرقم الكودى له‬
Plasma NE 312 ‫والبالزما‬
Third Year ‫ الثالثة‬:‫السنة الدراسية‬
Time allowed: 3 hours ‫ ساعات‬3 :‫الزمن‬
Final exam
Useful data:
o = 8.854 10-12 F/m.
Electron mass = 0.9110-30 kg.
Boltzmann’s constant, K = 1.38×10-23 J/ oK.
Proton mass = 1.6710-27 kg.
o = 4 ×10-7 T m/ A.  
 
 1 B  B  m v||2 R c  B  p  B
v B =  v⊥ rL vR = vD  −
2 B2 q Rc2 B 2 qnB 2
Answer All Questions:

1) Are the following statements true or false? (20 marks)

a) Plasmas are diamagnetic because the magnetic fields resulting from the gyration of
the charged particles are opposite to the externally imposed magnetic field.
b) The plasma is considered quasineutral because it is not affected by electromagnetic
forces.
c) Longitudinal waves can also be described as electromagnetic waves.
d) If a magnetic field is applied to two singly ionized particles of same mass but different
energy, the slower one will have smaller Larmor radius.
e) When ions and electrons drift in same direction, a current results in the plasma.
f) Saha equation predicts a low amount of ionization in a gas in thermal equilibrium
at high temperatures.
g) Plasma is defined as the third state of matter because it occurs at high
temperatures.
h) In low frequency oscillations, plasma approximation can be used instead of
Poisson's equation.
i) The group velocity of electromagnetic waves in a plasma is never greater than c.
   
j) In a nonuniform B field with B // B , as B increases v ⊥ increases because the
plasma is heated.
2) An isothermal plasma is confined between the planes x = ± a in a magnetic field
  x2 
B = Bo ẑ . The density distribution is n = no 1 − 2  . (15 marks)
 a 

a) Derive the electron diamagnetic drift velocity v D e .

b) Evaluate v D e at x = a / 2 if B = 0.2 T, KTe = 2 eV and a = 4 cm.

Exam Committee: Dr. Hanaa Abou Gabal, Dr. Mohamed Hassan, Dr. Ahmed Emad.

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3) (15 marks)
a) Consider a grounded plate (its potential = 0) inserted inside a plasma. Briefly
explain the behavior of the plasma particles near the interface with the plate,
clarifying what will happen to the plate.
b) Start from the expressions of the plasma frequency  p and the Debye length D to
show that the plasma frequency fp =  p / 2 and the Debye length D can be
written as
We (keV)
f p (Hz) = 9  103 n (cm−3 ) and D (m) = 2.4 102
n (cm −3 )
where n is plasma density and We = k Te is the electron thermal energy.
c) Compute the plasma frequencies fp and the Debye length for the solar wind with
n = 5 cm-3 and We = 9 eV.
4) (15 marks)
a) The magnetic moment of a plane current loop is given by

m = I  (area of the loop)
where I is the current circulating in the loop. Show that the magnetic moment, ,
defined during the plasma physics course, can be deduced from the above
definition.
b) What is the value of the magnetic moment of a 100 eV electron with v|| = 0 in
a 5 Tesla field?
5) Consider the circular current loop shown in the figure below. We define the z-axis
perpendicular to the plane through the loop, through the centre of the loop. Thus, the
magnetic field in the plane of the loop points along the positive z-axis. Far from the
loop the magnetic field is given by

where r is the distance from the center of the loop to a point located in the plane of the
loop. Suppose the current through the loop is 106 A and the radius a =1 m.
a) Compute the Larmor radius for a proton with a perpendicular kinetic energy of
1 keV, at a distance r = 2 m.
b) If the proton has no velocity in the z-direction, will it show a drift motion? If yes,
calculate the magnitude of the corresponding guiding center drift velocity and
determine in which direction is this drift. (20 marks)

Exam Committee: Dr. Hanaa Abou Gabal, Dr. Mohamed Hassan, Dr. Ahmed Emad.

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6) The dispersion relation of "Buneman instability" can be derived in the following way.
Consider a uniform unmagnetized plasma in which the ions are stationary, and the

electrons have a uniform, time independent velocity v o . Let the plasma be cold
(KTe = KTi = 0). (20 marks)
a) Use Poisson's equation with the continuity equations and the equations of motion
for ions and electrons to show that
m / M 1 
1 =  p2  2 + 2 
  ( − k vo ) 
where m is the mass of the electron and M is the mass of the ion.
b) This dispersion relation can be written as
m/ M 1
1= +  F ( x, y )
x 2
( x − y) 2
where x =  /  p and y = k vo /  p . The following figure shows two plots of
F(x,y) as a function of x for two different values of y. Which plot presents an
unstable plasma? Explain why.
Hint: an unstable plasma means  is complex with a positive Im().

Good Luck!
Dr. Hanaa Abou Gabal

Exam Committee: Dr. Hanaa Abou Gabal, Dr. Mohamed Hassan, Dr. Ahmed Emad.

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