Astrophysical Plasmas and Fluids

This work provides an introduction to astrophysical plasmas and fluids for graduate students of astronomy preparing either for a research career in the field or just aspiring to achieve a decent degree of familiarity with 99 per cent of the cosmos. The contents provide a representation of the phenomenal diversity of dominant roles that plasmas and fluids play in the near and far reaches of the universe. The breadth of coverage of basic physical processes is a feature of this textbook. By first using the Liouville equation to derive the single-fluid, two-fluid and kinetic descriptions of a plasma and a fluid, and then demonstrating the use of these descriptions for specific situations in the rest of the book, the author has chosen a different way of handling this large technical subject. The two major astrophysical issues, fluid or plasma configurations and their radiative signatures, figure prominently throughout the book. The problems are designed to give the reader a feel for the quantitative properties of celestial objects.