Title Page -- Indice -- Foreword -- Gruppo fotografico dei partecipanti al Corso fuori testo -- Astrophysical plasmas -- Introduction -- Characteristic parameters -- Plasma models -- Kinetic equations -- Macroscopic fluid equations -- Two-fluid model -- MHD equations -- Ideal MHD equations -- Applicability of a fluid treatment -- Cold plasma equations -- Orbit theory: the strong magnetic field limit -- The plasma-magnetic-field interaction -- Waves in plasmas -- MHD waves -- Waves in the two-fluid model -- No external magnetic field, Omega_e = 0(beta_T = V_T/c) -- Longitudinal magnetic field k

Shocks in unmagnetized plasmas -- MHD shocks -- Shock drift acceleration (SDA) -- The de Hoffmann-Teller frame -- Reflection or transmission -- Maximum energy change -- The foreshock and interplanetary shocks -- Diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) -- Test particle treatment of DSA -- Alternative treatment of DSA -- DSA at multiple shocks -- Discussion of DSA -- Acceleration of the highest energy particles. Lecture 3 -- Introduction -- Acceleration of cosmic rays -- Acceleration of GCRI -- Scattering by a turbulent spectrum of waves -- Time available for acceleration -- Acceleration of GCRII -- Acceleration of extremely high energy electrons -- The effect of synchrotron losses on multiple DSA -- The synchrotron spectrum of M87 -- Multiple-shock acceleration and the M87 jet -- Upper energy cutoff -- Flat synchrotron spectra -- Acceleration of EGCR -- Maximum possible energy in SDA and DSA -- Acceleration of EGCRs in GRBs -- Resistive processes -- Introduction -- Linear and nonlinear theory of resistive instabilities: an introduction -- Conclusions -- Dynamics of perturbations in astrophysical shear flows -- Introduction -- Transformation of waves -- Vortex-wave conversion -- Subcritical transition to turbulence in shear flows -- Transition scenario -- Summary -- The origin of galactic magnetic fields -- Introduction -- Interaction of velocity and magnetic fields -- The galactic disc dynamo -- Small-scale fields -- The protogalactic dynamo -- The Biermann battery -- Conclusion -- Astrophysically relevant collective emission processes in the laboratory -- Introduction -- Energetics and emission -- Variability and coherence -- Coherent synchrotron radiation -- Theory of coherent curvature radiation -- Experiment -- Emission by scattering from strong Langmuir turbulence -- Compton scattering from solitons -- Conclusions.

Nonlinear dynamics in the solar corona -- Introduction -- Evolution of coronal loops -- Dynamics in coronal streamers -- MHD turbulence and coronal heating -- Conclusions -- The Sun, solar wind, and magnetic field. I -- Introduction -- The Ulysses mission -- Background: the homogeneous Sun -- Background: the inhomogeneous Sun -- Ulysses observations of the Sun, solar wind and magnetic field in 3D -- Summary -- The heliosphere and beyond. II -- Introduction -- The heliosphere -- Interstellar matter inside and outside the heliosphere -- Galactic cosmic rays -- Anomalous cosmic rays -- Brief summary of other important Ulysses results -- The coronal plasma -- Introduction -- The solar corona -- Diagnostics of the coronal plasma: disk observations -- Diagnostics of the coronal plasma: extended corona -- Density -- Ion temperatures -- Electron temperature -- Outflow velocities -- Line-of-sight bulk velocities -- Abundances -- Magnetic field -- Transition region and low corona -- Density and temperature structure -- Abundances and FIP effect -- Extended corona: coronal holes -- Density -- Electron temperature -- Ion temperatures -- Outflow velocities -- Abundances -- Extended corona: streamers -- Morphology -- Density -- Electron temperature -- Ion temperatures -- Outflow velocities -- Abundances -- Solar wind -- Fast wind -- Slow wind -- Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) -- Conclusions -- Plasma microstructure in the solar wind -- Introduction -- Magnetic decreases -- Cross-field diffusion -- Solar/interplanetary plasma phenomena causing geomagnetic activity at Earth -- Introduction -- Magnetic reconnection -- Particle motions, plasma instabilities -- Magnetic storms -- Substorms -- Geomagnetic quiet -- Dayside aurora -- Collisionless astrophysical reconnection -- Introduction -- Fluid approach -- Kinetic reconnection -- The necessity of a kinetic approach.

Formation and instability of thin current sheets -- Transition to reconnection -- 3D reconnection. General constraints -- Magnetostatic limit. Magnetic nulls -- Kinematic fluid approach. Finite-B-reconnection -- Summary -- The origins of stellar magnetic fields -- Introduction -- How do we know that stars are magnetized? -- How are stellar magnetic fields detected? -- What types of stars are magnetic? -- Properties of stellar magnetic fields -- Ubiquity -- Field strengths, filling factors, and geometry -- Activity-stellar properties correlation -- Activity-magnetic field correlation -- Cycle period-rotation period correlation -- Theory -- What is a magnetic dynamo? -- Type of dynamos -- The simplest "kinematic" linear dynamo theory -- The "Solar-Stellar Connection" scenario -- The role of numerical computations -- The major puzzles -- Why do simple models well describe the large-scale behavior, or How does the large-scale solar dynamo work? -- Dynamo and activity "saturation" -- What happens at the end of the main sequence? -- Gamma-ray bursts -- Introduction -- Recent discoveries -- Burst energies and luminosities -- Burst models -- Afterglow models -- The GRB-supernova connection -- Detectability of GRBs and their afterglows at very high redshifts -- GRBs as a probe of the very high redshift universe -- Conclusions -- X-ray bursts -- Introduction -- Summary of observations -- Thermonuclear flash model of X-ray bursts -- Qualitative picture -- Global analysis of X-ray burst behavior -- Nuclear fuel surface -- Ignition surface -- Calculations of individual bursts -- Effect of strong magnetic fields -- Brightness oscillations in X-ray bursts -- Propagation of nuclear burning -- Weak and strong field models -- Evidence in favor of the strong field model -- Two-dimensional simulations of helium detonation -- Conduction wave model of double X-ray bursts.

Conclusions -- Gravitational plasmas -- Introduction -- The Jeans instability -- Building a collisionless stellar system -- Variations on a theme by Jeans -- The Jeans instability in a rotating disk -- A more general dispersion relation -- Galaxy disks as disks of stars and gas -- Self-regulation -- Modal theory of spiral structure in galaxies -- Self-gravitating (self-regulated) accretion disks -- A story of geometry, partial relaxation, evolution -- Classical isothermal solutions -- Truncated quasi-Maxwellian models -- Incomplete violent relaxation from collisionless collapse -- Evolution along equilibrium sequences -- Radiation and reconnection in active galactic nuclei -- Introduction -- Nonthermal radiation processes -- Synchrotron radiation -- Polarization and Faraday rotation -- Absorption of synchrotron radiation -- Inverse Compton scattering -- Pair production -- Relativistic bulk motion -- Magnetic activity in galactic nuclei -- Inertia-driven reconnection in AGN -- Some final remarks -- Active galactic nuclei. Accretion disks and jets. I -- Introduction -- Observations of AGNs -- Seyfert galaxies -- Radio galaxies -- Quasars and QSOs -- Other classes of AGNs -- Physical parameters -- Unified model of AGNs -- Search for an energy source -- AGNs and supermassive black holes (SMBH) -- Fuelling black holes: accretion power -- Eddington limit -- Accretion flows -- Generalities on accretion disks -- The physics of accretion -- Spherical accretion -- Thin accretion disks -- Optically thin accretion disks -- Advection-Dominated Accretion Flows: ADAF solutions -- The viscosity problem -- Active galactic nuclei. Accretion disks and jets. II -- Introduction -- Unified models for AGNs -- Launching jets from accretion disks -- Hydrodynamic jets -- Magnetohydrodynamic jets -- Relativistic winds -- Jets from black-hole magnetospheres.

ADIOS (Advection-Dominated Inflow-Outflow Solutions).