Hydrodynamics and Magnetohydrodynamics

WS2014, Tue, 10:00-12:00, Room 2.216 (main lecture);  Wed, 10:00-11:00, Room 2.114 (exercises by Dr. Mizuno)

Assigned Exercises (solutions here); Scanned Lecture Notes

Hydrodynamics is an incredibly successful framework to describe the dynamics of matter from scales as small as those of colliding elementary particles, up to the largest scales in the universe. This course will provide an introduction to the mathematical and physical properties of hydrodynamics and its extension to magnetized fluids, i.e. magnetohydrodynamics or MHD. Starting from an initial kinetic-theory description, the equations of hydrodynamics will be derived and their most important properties will be discussed. The course will also discuss the nonlinear nature of the hydrodynamics equations and the occurrence of nonlinear waves such as shocks and rarefaction waves. The final part of the course will deal with neutrally charged and magnetized plasmas and discuss the basic features of ideal magnetohydrodynamics and the associated nonlinear waves. The detailed syllabus and the list of references can be found here.