Fundamentals of Ionized Gases and Plasma Physics: Modern Plasma Engineering for Fusion Energy, Propulsion, and Materials Processing

By Nathaniel R. Voss and Kael Engineering Press

Most engineers who need to understand plasma face an uncomfortable choice: physics texts too rigorous to connect to real hardware, or applied guides that skip the physics needed to troubleshoot when something goes wrong. This comprehensive, two-part engineering reference on ionized gases and plasma physics was built to close that gap.
Part One builds the physics every plasma-based system shares, from first principles: the criteria that define a plasma, particle motion and drift theory, fluid and magnetohydrodynamic description, wave propagation and instabilities, diffusion and resistivity, equilibrium and stability, kinetic theory, and nonlinear and sheath effects. Part Two carries that foundation directly into eight engineering domains: magnetic and inertial confinement fusion, semiconductor plasma processing, spacecraft electric propulsion, plasma-based materials and surface engineering, plasma medicine, atmospheric and industrial plasma technology, and plasma diagnostics.
After working through this book, readers will be able to: Compare magnetic fusion confinement approaches on a shared physical basis.Evaluate implosion and driver tradeoffs in inertial confinement and high-energy-density plasma systems.Diagnose etch-rate and process-uniformity problems in semiconductor plasma reactors.Compare electric propulsion thruster types for a given spacecraft mission profile.Choose between sheath-based and thermal methods for plasma-based materials and surface processing.Reason through safety, dosimetry, and source-design constraints in plasma medicine.Cross-check plasma diagnostic instruments to judge measurement reliability.Every chapter follows the same structure: physical explanation, full derivation where relevant, worked numerical example, an "applied context" case built around a realistic engineering decision, practice problems, and a complete answer key. Five appendices close the book - a formula, constants, and vector-relations reference; a survey of current research and computational frontiers; complete worked solutions to every end-of-chapter problem; a sample three-hour comprehensive examination; and extended derivations for readers wanting full mathematical detail - followed by a glossary and index.
This structure supports several uses at once: a semester or two-semester course textbook with a built-in problem and exam bank, a self-study path for engineers moving into a plasma-related specialty, and a desk reference for looking up a specific derivation or applied case without re-reading the whole book.
This book is written for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in physics and engineering, instructors seeking a course-ready text with a full assessment apparatus, and practicing engineers across aerospace, semiconductor, fusion, materials, and plasma-technology fields who need one dependable reference spanning theory through application.
If you have been frustrated by textbooks that stop at theory or manuals that skip the physics, open this book and start connecting the fundamentals of ionized gases to the engineering decisions that depend on them.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0HDX7JNND
• ISBN13: 9798192200452
• Release Date: August 2026
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 179 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.4" x 6.0"