Syllabus 48498 UCI PHY249 = Special Topics in Physics: Spring Quarter 12:30-2pm TTh (Zoom= Personal Meeting ID number: 743-986-9093) Plasma Instructor: Toshi Tajima, UCI

Plasma is known to be the constituent matter that composes the main element of the that is observable. As such, the astrophysical plasma of the Universe is most important in understanding the astrophysical phenomena. This is the mission of Plasma Astrophysics. Both gravitational and electromagnetic interactions need to be incorporated. We survey the cosmic plasma and their properties first. We note that astrophysics exhibits both structural and energetic characteristics of plasma astrophysics, such as structural formation (jets, disks, etc.) while highly energetic displays of the Universe (gamma-ray and gravitational wave bursts, high energy cosmic rays). We also ask why the cosmic plasma can take up particular structural or energetic forms or events, without any dictation but the Mother Nature itself. Cosmos is not just chaos alone, but with curious structures. I will make an introductory plasma physics that is relevant to astrophysics first, followed by discussions of highly peculiar astrophysical events and phenomena that need to be studied via plasma astrophysics. Latest developments in these fields will be shown.

NB: - This class is also available through Zoom to UCLA and UCSD campuses (and other campus s. a. UCR, see below). Each lecture will be also uploaded on Canvas (and Google).

- leading reference textbook: T. Tajima and K. Shibata, “Plasma Astrophysics” (Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 1997) *.

- The previous (2019) class UCI Special Topics in Plasma Physics PHY249 “Nonlinear Plasma Physics” lecture record is available for students to access for supplemental information below: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13FrpMxBB13XLgc6F8dq9ppa-YeAiqq41?usp=sharing (In this precious class the students’ submitted term project reports were integrated and edited by the instructor into a paper, which was submitted to a journal Phys. Rev. AB, 2019 with the students as co-authors).

- This class: upon the discussion among the class members, the required work by the student is likely similar to the above, i.e. the submission of a Term Project report. (No final exam).

- Special UC Riverside Colloquium (Zoomed to the class, by Tajima, April 30 Thursday, invited by B. Barish, UCR and Caltech).

First discovery of a blackhole and our prediction of it in 1997:

(first blackhole observed in 2019) (after the above book *, 1997, p.387)

Predicted gamma ray emission by wakefields induced by a neutron - collision in 2000 by us, with gravitational waves simultaneously (preceded by 1.7s) observed now by LIGO (Barry Barish, et al, 2017):

(LIGO, Caltech, 2020)

Predicted Microquasar γ-ray and high-energy neutrino emissions from our Galaxy Microquasar LS 5039: a TeV gamma-ray emi9er and a poten>al TeV neutrino source Aharonian et al 2006 J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 39 408

Aharonian et al 2006 J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 39 408

Aharonian et al 2006 A&A, 460, 743-749

JISCRISS 2019