Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
Department of Physics
PH451/Plasma Physics/2025-26/Tutorial-1
1. Calculate pe, D and ND for the following cases (n in m-3 and kBT in eV):
(a) Fusion reactor: n = 1021, kBT = 104.
(b) Ionosphere: n = 1015, kBT = 2.
(c) Typical flame: n = 1014, kBT =0.1.
(d) Interplanetary space: n = 106, kBT = 0.01.
Compare these values with that calculated at atmospheric pressure and at room temperature (~ 300
K).
2. Consider a charged sphere of radius a located far from all other objects in a plasma that has
immobile ions and mobile electrons of temperature Te. The electrons can be assumed to adopt a
𝑒𝜙
Boltzmann distribution, 𝑛 = 𝑛0 𝑒𝑥𝑝 (𝑘 ), where is the electrostatic potential and, n0, is the
𝐵 𝑇𝑒
background density of the singly charged ions.
(a) Calculate the potential distribution in the plasma when the potential on the sphere is s in the
approximation, s << Te.
(b) Sketch the form of as a function of radius r in the two cases, D << a and a << D.
(c) Calculate the charge on the sphere, and hence its capacitance in the presence of the plasma.
(The charge can be determined from the surface electric field).
(d) Evaluate the capacitances when a = 10 cm, for the case, T = 1 KeV, and (i) n0 = 1014cm-3, and
(ii) n0 = 106cm-3, and compare with the capacitance in vacuum.
3. A charge particle q of mass m enters a region of magnetic field B = Bk̂ and an electric field E =
Exî + Eyĵ + Ezk̂ with a velocity v = vxî + vyĵ + vzk̂. With the initial position vector of the particle at
r0 = x0î + y0ĵ + z0k̂, show that the trajectory of the particle is a cycloid.
4. Compute rL for the following cases if v║ is negligible:
(a) A 10 keV electron in the earth’s magnetic field of 5 × 10-5 T.
(b) A solar wind proton with streaming velocity 300 km/s, B = 5 × 10-9 T.
(c) A 1 keV He+ in the solar atmosphere near a sunspot, where B = 5 × 10-2 T.
(d) A 3.5 MeV He++ ash particle in an 8T Deuterium-Tritium fusion reactor.
5. Suppose that a so-called Q-machine has a uniform field of 0.2 T and a cylindrical plasma with kBTe
= kBTi = 0.2 eV. The density profile is found experimentally to be of the form
𝑟2
𝑛 = 𝑛0 𝑒𝑥𝑝 [(− 2 ) − 1]
𝑎
𝑒𝜙
Assume the density obeys the electron Boltzmann relation 𝑛 = 𝑛0 𝑒𝑥𝑝 (𝑘 ).
𝐵 𝑇𝑒
(a) Calculate the maximum vE if a = 1 cm.
(b) Compare this with vg due to the earth’s gravitational field.
(c) To what value can B be lowered before the ions of potassium (A = 39, Z = 1) have a Larmor
radius equal to a?
