Syllabus
Introduction to the theory of waves in plasmas, dispersion relations, characteristic frequencies, wave modes. Approximation of cold plasmas. Waves in magnetized plasmas. Resonances, cutoffs, resonance cone.
Wave-normal surfaces. Phase relations and polarizations CMA diagram. Energy density and group velocity. Analysis of wave propagation in inhomogeneous media.
Solutions to the dispersion relation in cold plasmas: Alfven modes, ion-cyclotron waves. Whistler mode, Z mode and free space modes. Waves in multi-ion plasmas.
Hydromagnetic approximation, MHD theory, slow and fast magnetosonic waves. Kinetic approach. Landau damping. Linear instabilities. Beam modes, Bernstein modes.
Type II and type III radio emissions in the solar wind. Lion roars. Waves in the equatorial region of the Earth's magnetosphere. Whistlers, equatorial noise, chorus and plasmaspheric hiss.
Waves in the auroral region. Auroral kilometric radiation, auroral hiss, and ion cyclotron harmonic radiation.
Annotation
Dispersion relation, wave modes. Cold-plasma model.
Waves in a magnetised plasma. Hydromagnetic approximation.
Kinetic approach, linear instabilities. Examples of different types of waves observed in space plasmas.