Dense astrophysical plasmas

Hydrodynamics, magnetohydrodynamics, and astrophysical plasmas

1 Introduction It is not uncommon to encounter the assertion that the dynamical evolution of the large-scale bulk velocity v of a collisionless gas is not described by the hydrodynamic (HD) equations. A favorite " reason " is the statement that pressure cannot be defined in the absence of collisions. Then in some quarters it is believed that the large-scale bulk dynamics of a swirling magnetize...

Thermodynamic functions of dense plasmas: analytic approxi- mations for astrophysical applications

We briefly review analytic approximations of thermodynamic functions of fully ionized nonideal electronion plasmas, applicable in a wide range of plasma parameters, including the domains of nondegenerate and degenerate, nonrelativistic and relativistic electrons, weakly and strongly coupled Coulomb liquids, classical and quantum Coulomb crystals. We present improvements to previously published ...

Nuclear Excitation Processes in Astrophysical Plasmas

Elliptical dust growth in astrophysical plasmas

Elongated dust grains exist in astrophysical plasmas. Anisotropic growth of elliptical dust grains, via plasma deposition, occurs if the deposited ions are non-inertial. In reality the extent of such growth depends upon the initial kinetic energy of the ions and the magnitude of the electric field in the sheath. Simulations of the dynamics of the ions in the sheath are reported, showing how ell...

X-ray spectroscopy of astrophysical plasmas.

We provide a qualitative review of key X-ray spectral diagnostics of astrophysical plasmas. We begin with a brief discussion of the two major types of equilibria, collisional ionization and photoionization, and then consider the behaviour of hydrogen-like, helium-like, iron L-shell and iron K-shell transitions for these separate cases. Where possible, we discuss explicit examples using high-res...