615.753.81 - Plasma Physics

Course Structure

• Course modules start on Monday and run for 7 days until the end of Sunday, with discussion posts due 2 days after on the following Tuesday. 
• Due dates for written assignments (when they exist for that module) are always due end of Sunday.
• Due dates for numerical assignments (when they exist for that module) are always due end of Sunday.
• Due dates for discussions are always due end of the next module Tuesday.

Course Topics

• Plasma properties
• Charged particle motion within electric and magnetic fields
• Numerical methods for particle motion
• Effects of particle collisions within a plasma
• Plasma as a fluid (including MHD), and numerical methods
  
• Electrostatic and electromagnetic waves
• Kinetic theory of plasmas
• Key applications of plasma physics

Course Goals

The goal of this course is to give students foundational knowledge of plasma properties and physics, as well as how to begin simulating components of plasmas. Additionally, students will gain exposure to several key applications of plasma physics, and have the opportunity to explore their own areas of interest.

Textbooks

Chen, F. F. (2018). Introduction to Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion: Switzerland: Springer, 3rd Ed.

Note: A digital copy of this book is available with your JHU login through the library website.

There are additional readings from several other textbooks, which will be provided.

Student Coursework Requirements

It is expected that each module will take approximately 15 hours per week to complete.

The final grade in the course is determined half by assignments and half by projects. The final grade is calculated as follows:

• Written Assignments (25%)
• Numerical Assignments (25%)
• Discussions (10%)
• Midterm project (20%)
• Final project (20%)

Discussions span multiple categories above, and are included in the grade of their respective assignment type. The midterm and final projects will be released several weeks in advance, and the week of the due date will have additional time allocated for the projects.

Late HW policy: There will be a 10% deduction for each day that you are late to submit your assignment. If you are more than 3 days late, you will not receive any credit. Extensions should be pre-arranged. Please see the course policies.

Written Assignments

Written assignments will consist of a short set of questions that students must solve and produce a write up. Some questions have solutions in the textbook. These questions are noted in the assignment. You are allowed and encouraged to follow the solution, but the actual submission must demonstrate understanding of the material (simply copying the solution word for word without additional work will result in no points). Demonstrating understanding can look like writing out calculations that the solution doesn't show, noting the concept cited for an assumption, and so on. Submitted assignments should be your own work. If you collaborated with someone, please note this on the assignment. You may reference the textbook and course notes, but you may not seek solutions to the problems online.

Numerical assignments

Numerical assignments will consist of demonstrations of the key concepts in the module. The purpose of these assignments is to directly connect theoretical material from the lectures and readings, to realistic results. Due to the complex, nonlinear interactions, plasma physics is a field where almost all work interfaces with simulation in some form. It is essential to gain exposure into simulation. The numerical assignments are not meant to test programming skill. There are code templates for reference. Any programing language can be used, and Python is preferred. Other high level languages can be used (i.e., Matlab, Julia, etc.) and I would recommend not trying lower level languages unless you have an interest and are comfortable in those languages (I can provide some help in C/C++, Fortran).

The numerical assignment grade also includes a discussion post. In this discussion post you will provide a short, roughly 1 paragraph (3-4 sentences) response on your numerical assignment. You must include your code as an attachment to the post. Relevant questions include:

• A plot or two
• Explanation of your approach
• Any issues you encountered
  
• Any other comments you have

Then you must respond to at least two other posts, with 2-3 (or more) comments that demonstrate engagement with the material. Consider complimenting aspects of the post/code, asking a question, or connecting to your own approach.  The goal of these posts is to learn how others approached the assignment. You may use what you learn from others in your next numerical assignment (including code, if you cite it).

Midterm project

The midterm project is an open ended numerical assignment, with additional work in identifying an interesting topic, researching the topic, demonstrating a numerical simulation, and then reporting results with peers. The goal of this assignment is to expand on the tools you have built in the first half of the course, and explore an application of interest. There is a required midterm proposal due several weeks before, which is meant to ensure that the topic chosen is appropriate and achievable for the midterm. After the proposal, there will be a few weeks where there is a written assignment, but no numerical assignment. The week of the midterm deadline will be dedicated to completion of the project. There will be a short discussion post associate with the midterm, just like a normal numerical assignment.

Final project

The final project is an open ended assignment. The goal of this assignment is to allow students to deeply investigate a topic of their interest. The final project can be another numerical study like the midterm, or can be a written work. Delieverables can be a short report, lecture slides, etc. The timeline follows a similar trajectory to the mideterm. There is a required midterm proposal due several weeks before, and time to work on the project over a few weeks. There will be a short discussion post associated with the final project.

Grading Policy

EP uses a +/- grading system (see “Grading System”, Graduate Programs catalog, p. 10). The following grades are estimates. Final letter grades may vary slightly between semesters, although there are not maximum number of students in each letter grade.

The goal of the grading is for work that demonstrates excellent understanding of the material to receive an A, work that indicates understanding and meeting graduate-level requirements to receive a B.

Score Range	Letter Grade
100-97	= A+
96-93	= A
92-90	= A−
89-87	= B+
86-83	= B
82-80	= B−
79-77	= C+
76-73	= C
72-70	= C−
69-67	= D+
66-63	= D
<63	= F

Course Policies

You are must not use any solutions found online for problem sets. The only solutions you may look at are the ones provided in the textbook (Chen).

You are allowed to use online resources for the numerical assignments. Previous numerical assignment discussion posts are also available as resources. Other students may have found a nicer way of coding the physics that would make future assignments easier. Note that you may not copy other students work for the current module. If you use a particular source significantly, please note the source in your results. This is generally good practice, as it reminds a future reader where/why this solution was used. 

Academic Policies

Deadlines for Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from Courses

Students may add a course up to one week after the start of the term for that particular course. Students may drop courses according to the drop deadlines outlined in the EP academic calendar (https://ep.jhu.edu/student-services/academic-calendar/). Between the 6th week of the class and prior to the final withdrawal deadline, a student may withdraw from a course with a W on their academic record. A record of the course will remain on the academic record with a W appearing in the grade column to indicate that the student registered and withdrew from the course.

Academic Misconduct Policy

All students are required to read, know, and comply with the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) / Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) Procedures for Handling Allegations of Misconduct by Full-Time and Part-Time Graduate Students.

This policy prohibits academic misconduct, including but not limited to the following: cheating or facilitating cheating; plagiarism; reuse of assignments; unauthorized collaboration; alteration of graded assignments; and unfair competition. Course materials (old assignments, texts, or examinations, etc.) should not be shared unless authorized by the course instructor. Any questions related to this policy should be directed to EP’s academic integrity officer at ep-academic-integrity@jhu.edu.

Students with Disabilities - Accommodations and Accessibility

Johns Hopkins University values diversity and inclusion. We are committed to providing welcoming, equitable, and accessible educational experiences for all students. Students with disabilities (including those with psychological conditions, medical conditions and temporary disabilities) can request accommodations for this course by providing an Accommodation Letter issued by Student Disability Services (SDS). Please request accommodations for this course as early as possible to provide time for effective communication and arrangements.

For further information or to start the process of requesting accommodations, please contact Student Disability Services at Engineering for Professionals, ep-disability-svcs@jhu.edu.

Student Conduct Code

The fundamental purpose of the JHU regulation of student conduct is to promote and to protect the health, safety, welfare, property, and rights of all members of the University community as well as to promote the orderly operation of the University and to safeguard its property and facilities. As members of the University community, students accept certain responsibilities which support the educational mission and create an environment in which all students are afforded the same opportunity to succeed academically. 

For a full description of the code please visit the following website: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/policies-guidelines/student-code/

Classroom Climate

JHU is committed to creating a classroom environment that values the diversity of experiences and perspectives that all students bring. Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Fostering an inclusive climate is important. Research and experience show that students who interact with peers who are different from themselves learn new things and experience tangible educational outcomes. At no time in this learning process should someone be singled out or treated unequally on the basis of any seen or unseen part of their identity. 
 
If you have concerns in this course about harassment, discrimination, or any unequal treatment, or if you seek accommodations or resources, please reach out to the course instructor directly. Reporting will never impact your course grade. You may also share concerns with your program chair, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, or the Office of Institutional Equity. In handling reports, people will protect your privacy as much as possible, but faculty and staff are required to officially report information for some cases (e.g. sexual harassment).

Course Auditing

When a student enrolls in an EP course with “audit” status, the student must reach an understanding with the instructor as to what is required to earn the “audit.” If the student does not meet those expectations, the instructor must notify the EP Registration Team [EP-Registration@exchange.johnshopkins.edu] in order for the student to be retroactively dropped or withdrawn from the course (depending on when the "audit" was requested and in accordance with EP registration deadlines). All lecture content will remain accessible to auditing students, but access to all other course material is left to the discretion of the instructor.