Plasma physics

Plasma physics

The branch of physics concerned with matter in its plasma (gas) state in which a certain portion of the particles are ionized.

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Plasma physics

A type of instability that arises when the different layers of a stratified heterogeneous fluid are in relative horizontal motion. The instability of the plane interface between the two fluids, when ...

cyclotron frequency

Physics; Plasma physics

Number of times per second that a particle orbits a magnetic field line. The frequency is completely determined by the strength of the field and the particle's charge-to-mass ratio. (Often, and ...

charge exchange

Physics; Plasma physics

Phenomenon in which an ion colliding with a molecule (or an atom) neutralizes itself by capturing an electron from the molecule/atom, and transforming the molecule/atom into a positive radical/ion.

sounding

Physics; Plasma physics

Any penetration of the natural environment for scientific observation usually by sounding rockets or balloons.

Alfven velocity

Physics; Plasma physics

It is the limit at which information can be carried in collisionless solar wind plasma. Phase velocity of the Alfven wave; equal to the speed of light divided by the square root of (1 plus the ratio ...

Bartel's rotation number

Physics; Plasma physics

The serial number assigned to 27-day rotation periods of solar and geophysical parameters. Rotation 1 in this sequence was assigned arbitrarily by Bartel to begin in January 1833.

cosmic rays

Physics; Plasma physics

The aggregate of extremely high energy subatomic particles which travel the solar system and bombard the earth from all directions. Cosmic ray primaries seem to be mostly protons, hydrogen nuclei, ...