Mentor: Eric Held
Theoretical plasma physics—how charged particles generate and interact with electromagnetic fields
Possible projects:
(1) Study motion of charged particles in presence of spatially varying magnetic fields.
(2) Study confinement of electron heat by the tangled magnetic field structures of galaxy clusters.
(3) Apply hybrid fluid/kinetic models to problems in magnetic fusion and astrophysical plasmas.
Skills: E and M, Newtonian Mechanics, Thermal Physics, Lagrangian and/or Hamiltonian Dynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Maple and/or programming experience.