Hey guys,

I’m trying to catch up in the areas of plasma cosmology, fusion power, and related physics as a multi-major science undergrad. I was fortunate enough to have read The Big Bang Never Happened, and other research (like Bussard’s). What books do you guys recommend so that I can have a sound understanding of plasma and fusion related subjects, and eventually catch up with the cutting edge science out there? Thanks for your replies.

To stay really current you probably need to read the journals.  Books will supply you with the background you will need to understand what is printed in the journals.

Yes, I understand that, and I do read the journals. I’m looking for what you guys think are the best background texts.

Have you read Richard Feynman’s lecture series?  They are probably about the best fundamental physics texts you can get.  Not particularly easy though.

Yes I have, actually.

The best basic book in this field is unfortunately out of print but widely available in libraries. It is Alfven and Falthammer’s Cosmic Electrodynamics (Oxford, 1963). This is far better than the earlier edition with the same title which is by Alfven alone, so make sure it is by both authors and 1963.  It really is the best basic text on plasma physics.

Have you read any plasma physics texts?

I can’t say that I’ve read any textbooks that include plasma physics – just articles and papers. I will go and get Alfven and Falthammer’s Cosmic Electrodynamics immediately, though.

I really appreciate your reply Mr. Lerner, and more importantly your ability to think critically even when the mainstream does not. I feel as if I am in the same boat sometimes with other sciences – but I find it very important to remain unreasonable man: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”  - George Bernard Shaw, 1903.

Hi There!

I’ve started a new section for books on our website.  I have two up there so far.  One you can see here:  The Electric Sky

So, please keep your recommendations coming.

Lerner - 20 December 2008 04:56 AM

The best basic book in this field is unfortunately out of print but widely available in libraries. It is Alfven and Falthammer’s Cosmic Electrodynamics (Oxford, 1963). This is far better than the earlier edition with the same title which is by Alfven alone, so make sure it is by both authors and 1963.  It really is the best basic text on plasma physics.

Regarding the book mentioned above, if it’s out of print, is there any way we can link to a scanned copy of it on the internet?  How can we make this kind of information available? 

How do these things happen?

I finally tracked that book down, actually. It is not out of copyright or in the public domain (however, there are some less popular avenues for distributing information on the web ... In this case, Oxford University Press holds the copyright, and I doubt they will give you permission (you could always ask, though).

I can recommend my own site, Plasma-Universe.com which includes articles on various aspects of the Plasma Universe, and includes a page on 3rd party resources (in the side menu). Where possibles, articles try to use references and citations that are available online.

opensource - 30 January 2009 03:02 PM

I finally tracked that book down, actually. It is not out of copyright or in the public domain (however, there are some less popular avenues for distributing information on the web ... In this case, Oxford University Press holds the copyright, and I doubt they will give you permission (you could always ask, though).

We could, indeed, ask.  Tell everyone you know to bombard Amazon with requests to get this on kindle/otherwise downloadable.

Or retweet on twitter:

RT Click http://tinyurl.com/23w3k5e to request Amazon make “Cosmological Electrodynamics” by Alfven & CGF available on Kindle

iantresman - 07 March 2009 02:23 PM

I can recommend my own site, Plasma-Universe.com which includes articles on various aspects of the Plasma Universe, and includes a page on 3rd party resources (in the side menu). Where possibles, articles try to use references and citations that are available online.

Ian, your 2011 calendar is brilliant.  And nice to see that DPF is Mr. June!