Recent scientific and technical advances have made it possible to create matter in the laboratory under conditions relevant to astrophysical systems such as supernovae and black holes. These advances will also benefit inertial confinement fusion research and the nation's nuclear weapon's program. The report describes the major research facilities on which such high energy density conditions can be achieved and lists a number of key scientific questions about high energy density physics that can be addressed by this research. Several recommendations are presented that would facilitate the development of a comprehensive strategy for realizing these research opportunities.

Solar and space physics is the study of solar system phenomena that occur in the plasma state. Examples include sunspots, the solar wind, planetary magnetospheres, radiation belts, and the aurora. While each is a distinct phenomenon, there are commonalities among them. To help define and systematize these universal aspects of the field of space physics, the National Research Council was asked by NASA's Office of Space Science to provide a scientific assessment and strategy for the study of magnetized plasmas in the solar system. This report presents that assessment. It covers a number of important research goals for solar and space physics. The report is complementary to the NRC report, The Sun to the Earthâ€"and Beyond: A Decadal Research Strategy for Solar and Space Physics, which presents priorities and strategies for future program activities.

This study considers the instabilities that result when an electron beam is injected into a plasma. A number of different models of the system are considered, and all instabilities are classified according to whether they are convective instabilities (amplifying waves) or nonconvective (absolute) instabilities. The study also analyzes the instabilities in unbounded beam-plasma systems and in systems of finite extent transverse to the electron stream and gives a detailed consideration of the possibility of a strong interaction with the ions in a hot-electron plasma. In addition, the author presents mathematical criteria for identifying absolute instabilities and amplifying waves. These criteria are based only on an analysis of the dispersion equation of the system and are not restricted to beam-plasma systems.Two things need to be said about this book: the chapter on absolute and convective instabilities makes an important contribution to the field. Second, it should be pointed out that the theoretical results are reduced to a form which make them readily available to an experimentalist. Plasma physicists and electronic engineers will be interested in this work.