Designed for the general science reader, this study explains the nature and properties of the fourth state of matter, known as plasma, the conditions under which it can form and some of the uses to which it might be put.

The idea for this book originated with the late Igor Vasil 'evich Kurchatov. He suggested to the author the need for a comprehen sive presentation of the fundamental ideas of plasma physics with out c'omplicated mathematics. This task has not been an easy one. In order to clarify the physical nature of plasma phenomena with out recourse to intricate mathematical expressions it is neces sary to think problems through very carefully. Thus, the book did not come into being by inspiration, but required a considerable ef fort. The aim of the book is to provide a beginning reader with an elementary knowledge of plasma physics. The book is primar ily written for engineers and technicians; however, we have also tried to make it intelligible to the reader whose knowledge ofphys ics is at the advanced-freshman level. To understand the book it is also necessary to have a working knowledge of electricity and magnetism of the kind available in present-:day programs in junior colleges. This book is not intended for light reading. It is designed for the reader for whom plasma physics will be a continuing in terest. We have confidence that such a reader will want to broad en his knowledge by consulting more specialized literature. Thus, we not only include simple expressions but also special important terms.

The "utterly compelling, uncommonly beautiful" collection of personal essays (Newsweek) that established Jo Ann Beard as one of the leading writers of her generation. Cousins, mothers, sisters, dolls, dogs, best friends: these are the fixed points in Jo Ann Beard's universe, the constants that remain when the boys of her youth -- and then men who replace them -- are gone. This widely praised collection of autobiographical essays summons back, with astonishing grace and power, moments of childhood epiphany as well as the cataclysms of adult life: betrayal, divorce, death. The Boys of My Youth heralded the arrival of an immensely gifted and influential writer and its essays remain surprising, original, and affecting today. "A luminous, funny, heartbreaking book of essays about life and its defining moments." --Harper's Bazaar

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) emerges as a possible new modality for cancer treatment. This book provides a comprehensive introduction into fundamentals of the CAP and plasma devices used in plasma medicine. An analysis of the mechanisms of plasma interaction with cancer and normal cells including description of possible mechanisms of plasma selectivity is included. Recent advances in the field, the primary challenges and future directions are presented.

Earth is dead. Humanity survives by selling the only resource available—themselves. 2689 has signed away his rights as a living being and become décor, living artwork that rich aliens use to decorate their homes. It's a stable existence but a boring one. Until one day his owner plays host to three unexpected guests. Large, loud, and more potent than anything 2689 has ever experienced, this trio of ship-dwellers from the wrong side of the universe awakens a desire he can't ignore. However, blissful days of sex and companionship with Brog, Desmodian, and Xavis come to an end when 2689 discovers a plot that could land the trio in jail...or worse. 2689 will have to make a choice—stay silent and allow three innocent lives to be ruined or give up his stable life to protect the ones he loves.

A searing and exhilarating new collection from the award-winning author of The Boys of My Youth and In Zanesville,who “honors the beautiful, the sacred, and the comic in life” (Sigrid Nunez, National Book Award winner for The Friend). A New York Times Notable Book A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice A Boston Globe and LitHub Best Book of the Year When “The Fourth State of Matter,” her now famous piece about a workplace massacre at the University of Iowa was published in The New Yorker, Jo Ann Beard immediately became one of the most influential writers in America, forging a path for a new generation of young authors willing to combine the dexterity of fiction with the rigors of memory and reportage, and in the process extending the range of possibility for the essay form. Now, with Festival Days, Beard brings us the culmination of her groundbreaking work. In these nine pieces, she captures both the small, luminous moments of daily existence and those instants when life and death hang in the balance, ranging from the death of a beloved dog to a relentlessly readable account of a New York artist trapped inside a burning building, as well as two triumphant, celebrated pieces of short fiction. Here is an unforgettable collection destined to be embraced and debated by readers and writers, teachers and students. Anchored by the title piece––a searing journey through India that brings into focus questions of mortality and love—Festival Days presents Beard at the height of her powers, using her flawless prose to reveal all that is tender and timeless beneath the way we live now.

Providing a fundamental introduction to all aspects of modern plasma chemistry, this book describes mechanisms and kinetics of chemical processes in plasma, plasma statistics, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and electrodynamics, as well as all major electric discharges applied in plasma chemistry. Fridman considers most of the major applications of plasma chemistry, from electronics to thermal coatings, from treatment of polymers to fuel conversion and hydrogen production and from plasma metallurgy to plasma medicine. It is helpful to engineers, scientists and students interested in plasma physics, plasma chemistry, plasma engineering and combustion, as well as chemical physics, lasers, energy systems and environmental control. The book contains an extensive database on plasma kinetics and thermodynamics and numerical formulas for practical calculations related to specific plasma-chemical processes and applications. Problems and concept questions are provided, helpful in courses related to plasma, lasers, combustion, chemical kinetics, statistics and thermodynamics, and high-temperature and high-energy fluid mechanics.

TO THE SECOND EDITION In the nine years since this book was first written, rapid progress has been made scientifically in nuclear fusion, space physics, and nonlinear plasma theory. At the same time, the energy shortage on the one hand and the exploration of Jupiter and Saturn on the other have increased the national awareness of the important applications of plasma physics to energy production and to the understanding of our space environment. In magnetic confinement fusion, this period has seen the attainment 13 of a Lawson number nTE of 2 x 10 cm -3 sec in the Alcator tokamaks at MIT; neutral-beam heating of the PL T tokamak at Princeton to KTi = 6. 5 keV; increase of average ß to 3%-5% in tokamaks at Oak Ridge and General Atomic; and the stabilization of mirror-confined plasmas at Livermore, together with injection of ion current to near field-reversal conditions in the 2XIIß device. Invention of the tandem mirror has given magnetic confinement a new and exciting dimension. New ideas have emerged, such as the compact torus, surface-field devices, and the EßT mirror-torus hybrid, and some old ideas, such as the stellarator and the reversed-field pinch, have been revived. Radiofrequency heat ing has become a new star with its promise of dc current drive. Perhaps most importantly, great progress has been made in the understanding of the MHD behavior of toroidal plasmas: tearing modes, magnetic Vll Vlll islands, and disruptions.

This book deals with the specific contact between the fourth state of matter, i.e. plasma, and the first state of matter, i.e. a solid wall, in controlled fusion experiments. A comprehensive analysis of the main processes of plasma-surface interaction is given together with an assessment of the most critical questions within the context of general criteria and operation limits. It also contains a survey on other important aspects in nuclear fusion.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1876.