Preface to the second edition

Summary

Plasma diagnostics has grown in accomplishment and importance in the sixteen years since the first edition of this book was written. The fusion research field has reached the threshold of energy breakeven, and of committing to a burning plasma experiment. But more important perhaps, the accuracy and comprehensiveness of measurements on major magnetic plasma confinement devices now give us unprecedented information on plasma behaviour. Plasmas have gained in importance in industrial processes and of course in electronic manufacturing; so the economic necessity of monitoring them accurately has become increasingly evident. Astrophysical and space plasma diagnosis has continued to be the basis of investigations of a host of phenomena from black hole accretion to planetary magnetospheres.

In preparing a second edition, my objective was to retain the original emphasis on the physical principles upon which plasma measurements are based, and to maintain an accessible teaching style. Both of these aspects have proven attractive to students and researchers. Also, the examples are still predominantly drawn from my own field of fusion research, but some discussion of the broader applications is included. It became increasingly pressing in recent years that the book should be updated to include the latest techniques and applications. It has thus been impossible to avoid some expansion of the length, because of the substantial additional material. A few obsolete sections have been removed, but I have endeavored to keep as much of the first edition as possible, bringing the topics up to date by discussions of the recent developments and modern references.