Physics of magnetically confined plasmas

The physics of magnetically confined plasmas has had much of its development as part of the program to develop fusion energy and is an important element in the study of space and astrophysical plasmas. Closely related areas of physics include Hamiltonian dynamics, kinetic theory, and fluid turbulence. A number of topics in physics have been developed primarily through research on magnetically confined plasmas. The physics that underlies the magnetic confinement of plasmas is reviewed here to make it more accessible to those beginning research on plasma confinement and for interested physicists.