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 = 10
4
cc, B = 1 G.
Let the ionization fraction be n
i
/n
0
= . Then n
e
= n
i
= n
0
and Saha
equation becomes

2
1
= e
/(k
B
T)
/(N
3
=

2h
2
m
e
k
B
T
(1)
For the parameters given
= 0.99998 (2)
Mean free path
l =
1
n
e
4
/(k
B
T)
2
ln
l = 10
5
cm, for ln = 30 (3)
Collision times

ee


v
e
=
T
3/2

m
e
ne
4
= 3 10
13
sec
1

ii


v
i
=
ee

m
i
/m
e
= 10
11
sec
1
(4)
Equilibration time scale

eq
=
m
i
m
e

ee
= 7 10
10
sec
1
(5)
1
Electron plasma frequency

p,e
=

4ne
2
/m
e
= 5 10
6
sec
1
(6)
Electron cyclotron frequency

B,e
=
eB
m
e
c
= 1.8 10
7
rad/sec (7)
Ion cyclotron frequency

B,i
=
eB
m
i
c
= 10
4
rad/sec (8)
Electron Debye radius
r
D,e
= v
T,e
/
p,e
= 5cm (9)
Ion Debye
r
D,i
= v
T,i
/
p,i
= 5cm (10)
Electron Larmor radius
r
L,e
= v
T,e
/
B,e
= 1.7cm (11)
Ion Larmor radius
r
L,i
= v
T,i
/
B,i
= 74cm (12)
Electron skin depth

e
= c/
p
= 5 10
3
cm (13)
Plasma parameter
= 4nr
3
D
= 2 10
7
(14)
Show that in non-relativistic plasma, T mc
2
, the electrostatic Coulomb
force between particles is much larger than magnetic Lorentz force.
F
c
eE, F
L
= e
v
c
B
E en
1/3
, B e
v
c
n
1/3
F
c
F
L
(c/v)
2
> 1 (15)
A beam of electrons is accelerated to energy 10 keV and propagates
through plasma of density 10
15
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).
(e
4
/T
2
) ln
c
1/(n) = 1.6 10
5
cm (16)
2