The importance of thermal radiation on the Jeans instability is discussed for a magnetized dusty plasma with gravitational effects. The one-fluid MHD equations are developed by assuming that the entropy of each subsystem of plasma is conserved, when the temperature of the plasma species is non-relativistic. The dispersion relation in this case shows that thermal radiation helps to stabilize the Jeans instability. It is shown that the plasma is stable in a certain range of wavelengths. The magnetic field stabilizes the Jeans instability when the wave propagates across the magnetic field. However, for oblique propagation it is seen that the magnetic field does not stabilize the Jeans instability.

Large amplitude plasma oscillations are studied in a cold electron plasma. Using Lagrangian variables, a new class of exact analytical solutions is found. It turns out that the electric field amplitude is limited either by wave breaking or by the condition that the electron density always has to stay positive. The range of possible amplitudes is determined analytically.

The linear dispersion relation for compressional magnetoacoustic waves in a quantum magnetoplasma is derived, taking into account the quantum Bohm potential and the magnetization of electrons due to the electron-1/2 spin effect. It is found that the quantum forces produce the wave dispersion at quantum scales, which depend on the external magnetic field strength.

The development of the inductively driven plasma wind tunnel PWK3, which enables the electrodeless generation of high-enthalpy plasmas for the development of heat shield materials required for space vehicles performing entry manoeuvres in the atmospheres of Venus, Earth and Mars, is described. The facility with its modular inductive plasma generators allows operation with gases such as carbon dioxide, air, oxygen and nitrogen and was qualified for thermal plasma powers up to 60 kW. Previously developed models for determining plasma properties and plasma source related characteristics enable a maximum plasma power in combination with long operational periods using different operational gases and gas mixtures. This is achieved by an optimization using the optimum operational frequency, a minimization of field losses using very thin plasma tube wall thicknesses and the successful application of MHD effects. Based on the solved cylinder problem for ICPs, a one-dimensional model for radial Lorentz forces and magnetic pressure has been developed. Here, a synthesis of previously published data and works is made where the new algebraic model for the calculation of Lorentz forces and magnetic pressures in an ICP was used and applied to experimental data. In addition, results from the model using the experimental data are shown to be consistent and, in addition, a comparison with a simpler model based on the well-known exponential approach for ICPs showed that the simpler model is covered without fail by the new model. The new model also states that there is a maximum of the Lorentz forces over the damping parameter d/δ (plasma diameter divided by skin depth) which almost corresponds with the position of the maximum plasma power of the cylindric model for ICPs. For the magnetic pressure the position of the maximum pressure is identical to the value for d/δ for the maximum plasma power.

The analytic and numerical approaches to the investigation of the two-dimensional steady-state plasma flows are analyzed and compared with reference to a plasma accelerator channel in the presence of a longitudinal magnetic field. The present study continues a cycle of research into the plasma flows in the coaxial channels with the traditional azimuthal magnetic field. The additional longitudinal field opens new possibilities for controlling the dynamic processes and achieving the transonic flows. The research is based on the magnetohydrodynamic equations.

The acceleration of ions by multiple laser pulses and their spontaneously generated electric and magnetic fields is investigated by using an analytical model for the latter. The relativistic equations of motion of test charged particles are solved numerically. It is found that the self-generated axial electric field plays an important role in the acceleration, and the energy of heavy test ions can reach several gigaelectronvolts.

We study the stability of circularly polarized Alfvén waves (pump waves) in Hall plasmas. First we re-derive the dispersion equation governing the pump wave stability without making an ad hoc assumption about the dependences of perturbations on time and the spatial variable. Then we study the stability of pump waves with small non-dimensional amplitude a (a ≪ 1) analytically, restricting our analysis to b < 1, where b is the ratio of the sound and Alfvén speed. Our main results are the following. The stability properties of right-hand polarized waves are qualitatively the same as in ideal MHD. For any values of b and the dispersion parameter τ they are subject to decay instability that occurs for wave numbers from a band with width of order a. The instability increment is also of order a. The left-hand polarized waves can be subject, in general, to three different types of instabilities. The first type is the modulational instability. It only occurs when b is smaller than a limiting value that depends on τ. Only perturbations with wave numbers smaller than a limiting value of order a are unstable. The instability increment is proportional to a2. The second type is the decay instability. It has the same properties as in the case of right-hand polarized waves; however, it occurs only when b < 1 τ. The third type is the beat instability. It occurs for any values of b and τ, and only perturbations with the wave numbers from a narrow band with the width of order a2 are unstable. The increment of this instability is proportional to a2, except for τ close to τc when it is proportional to a, where τc is a function of b.