Astrophysical Plasma by Professor G Srinivasan

Overview

Explore the fascinating world of astrophysical plasma in this comprehensive 2-hour lecture by Professor G Srinivasan from the Raman Research Institute. Delve into key concepts such as dielectric screening, dispersion relations, and Faraday rotation. Examine the Earth's ionosphere, pulsar signal dispersion, and de-dispersion techniques. Investigate Cerenkov radiation, its Nobel Prize-winning discovery, and its applications in modern neutrino detectors. Learn about the Milky Way Magnetic Field Mapping Mission and plasma effects on synchrotron intensity. Gain insights into the vast range of densities, temperatures, and magnetic fields found in the universe, from interstellar hydrogen clouds to neutron stars and active galactic nuclei. This lecture, part of the "Random Walk in Astrophysics" summer course, offers a rich exploration of basic physics principles applied to contemporary astronomy.

Syllabus

Summer course 2018 - A Random walk in astro-physics
Astrophysical Plasma Lecture - 07
A Plasma is a quasi-neutral gas of charged and neutral particles which exhibits "collective behaviour"
Plasma
Dielectric Screening
An energy-loss spectrum for a thin AI film
Dispersion relation of waves in a plasma
Earth's IONOSPHERE
Group velocity, Phase velocity, Refractive index
The group velocity
Dispersion of Pulsar signals
Pulsar De-dispersion
Faraday Rotation
Dielectric constant
M4: The Milky Way Magnetic Field Mapping Mission
Cerenkov Radiation
NGC 5775
Nobel Prize in Physics 1958
From Tamm's Nobel Lecture:
Cherenkov Radiation
Cerenkov light emitted by electrons in a "swimming pool nuclear reactor"
The wave vector and frequency of an electromagnetic wave in a transparent medium are related by
Let theta be the angle between the direction of motion and the direction of emission.
Shock wave in a gas
Ooty
Detection of Cerenkov light emitted by electrons underlies most of the modern neutrino detectors.
Plasma effect on Synchrotron Intensity
Relativistic Beaming
Next Lecture: The Origin of Stellar Energy
Q&A