Michael Bonitz – författare

This book provides the reader with an introduction to the physics of complex plasmas, a discussion of the specific scientific and technical challenges they present and an overview of their potential technological applications.

Complex plasmas differ from conventional high-temperature plasmas in several ways: they may contain additional species, including nano meter- to micrometer-sized particles, negative ions, molecules and radicals and they may exhibit strong correlations or quantum effects. This book introduces the classical and quantum mechanical approaches used to describe and simulate complex plasmas. It also covers some key experimental techniques used in the analysis of these plasmas, including calorimetric probe methods, IR absorption techniques and X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

The final part of the book reviews the emerging applications of microcavity and microchannel plasmas, the synthesis and assembly of nanomaterials through plasma electrochemistry, the large-scale generation of ozone using microplasmas and novel applications of atmospheric-pressure non-thermal plasmas in dentistry.

Going beyond the scope of traditional plasma texts, the presentation is very well suited for senior undergraduate, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers specializing in plasma physics.

This book presents quantum kinetic theory in a comprehensive way. The focus is on density operator methods and on non-equilibrium Green functions. The theory allows to rigorously treat nonequilibrium dynamics in quantum many-body systems. Of particular interest are ultrafast processes in plasmas, condensed matter and trapped atoms that are stimulated by rapidly developing experiments with short pulse lasers and free electron lasers. To describe these experiments theoretically, the most powerful approach is given by non-Markovian quantum kinetic equations that are discussed in detail, including computational aspects.

Complex plasmas differ from traditional plasmas in many ways: these are low-temperature high pressure systems containing nanometer to micrometer size particles which may be highly charged and strongly interacting. The particles may be chemically reacting or be in contact with solid surfaces, and the electrons may show quantum behaviour. These interesting properties have led to many applications of complex plasmas in technology, medicine and science.

Yet complex plasmas are extremely complicated, both experimentally and theoretically, and require a variety of new approaches which go beyond standard plasma physics courses. This book fills this gap presenting an introduction to theory, experiment and computer simulation in this field. Based on tutorial lectures at a very successful recent Summer Institute, the presentation is ideally suited for graduate students, plasma physicists and experienced undergraduates.

This research monograph provides a pedagogical and self-contained introduction to non-equilibrium quantum particle dynamics for inhomogeneous systems, up to and including a survey of recent breakthroughs pioneered by the authors and other groups. The theoretical approach is based on real-time Green’s functions (Keldysh Green’s functions), directly solving the two-time Kadanoff-Baym equations (KBE). This field has seen a rapid development over the last decade, with new applications emerging in plasma physics, semiconductor optics and transport, nuclear matter and high-energy physics.  This text will be a valuable starting point and reference work for graduate students and researchers interested in the quantum dynamics of inhomogeneous systems.