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- Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!faqserv
- From: Robert F. Heeter <rfheeter@princeton.edu>
- Newsgroups: sci.physics.fusion,sci.answers,news.answers
- Subject: Conventional Fusion FAQ Glossary Part 11/26 (K)
- Supersedes: <fusion-faq/glossary/k_934543711@rtfm.mit.edu>
- Followup-To: sci.physics.fusion
- Date: 11 Nov 1999 12:25:38 GMT
- Organization: Princeton University
- Lines: 104
- Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU
- Distribution: world
- Expires: 23 Feb 2000 12:24:17 GMT
- Message-ID: <fusion-faq/glossary/k_942323057@rtfm.mit.edu>
- References: <fusion-faq/glossary/intro_942323057@rtfm.mit.edu>
- Reply-To: rfheeter@pppl.gov
- NNTP-Posting-Host: penguin-lust.mit.edu
- Summary: Fusion energy represents a promising alternative to
- fossil fuels and nuclear fission for world energy
- production. This Glossary is a compendium of Frequently Used
- Terms in Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy Research. Refer
- to the FAQ on Conventional Fusion for more detailed info
- about topics in fusion research. This Glossary does NOT
- discuss unconventional forms of fusion (like Cold Fusion).
- X-Last-Updated: 1995/02/07
- Originator: faqserv@penguin-lust.MIT.EDU
- Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu sci.physics.fusion:44259 sci.answers:10856 news.answers:170842
-
- Archive-name: fusion-faq/glossary/k
- Last-modified: 4-Feb-1995
- Posting-frequency: More-or-less-quarterly
- Disclaimer: While this section is still evolving, it should
- be useful to many people, and I encourage you to distribute
- it to anyone who might be interested (and willing to help!!!).
-
- ===============================================================
- Glossary Part 11: Terms beginning with "K"
-
- FREQUENTLY USED TERMS IN CONVENTIONAL FUSION RESEARCH
- AND PLASMA PHYSICS
-
- Edited by Robert F. Heeter, rfheeter@pppl.gov
-
- Guide to Categories:
-
- * = plasma/fusion/energy vocabulary
- & = basic physics vocabulary
- > = device type or machine name
- # = name of a constant or variable
- ! = scientists
- @ = acronym
- % = labs & political organizations
- $ = unit of measurement
-
- The list of Acknowledgements is in Part 0 (intro).
- ==================================================================
-
- KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
-
- # k: Mathematical symbol usually used for Boltzmann's Constant.
- Value is 1.4 x 10^-23 Joules/Kelvin (in SI units),
- or 1.4 x 10^-16 ergs/Kelvin (in cgs units).
-
- $ kA: KiloAmpere; see kilo, Ampere
-
- @ KDP: Potassium Dihydrogen Phosphate; crystal used in frequency
- conversion of Nd:glass laser light.
-
- $ kW: KiloWatt (1000 watts); see also kilo, Watt
-
- $ kWh: kilowatt-hour; see entry
-
- & Kelvin: (K) temperature scale where zero degrees corresponds
- to absolute zero (no thermal energy); degrees have same
- size as in Celsius/centigrade scale. 273.16 K = zero C;
- 373.16 = 100 C.
-
- ! (Lord) Kelvin: honorary name given to William Thompson; 19th
- century British physicist (many contributions in many subfields).
-
- * Kerma: Kinetic Energy (of charged particles) produced by
- ionizing Radiation per unit MAss of irradiated material. (ergs/gm)
-
- & kilo: metric prefix used to indicate 1000 times the following
- unit. e.g., a kiloampere is 1000 amperes.
-
- $ kilowatt-hour: standard unit of electrical energy; equals one
- kilowatt of power delivered for one hour. Equivalent to 3.6
- million joules.
-
- * Kinetic Pressure: Density of kinetic energy (energy in the
- thermal motions of the plasma particles). For an ideal plasma,
- pressure is given by p = nkT, that is:
-
- pressure = (density) * (Boltzmann's constant)* (temperature),
-
- * Kinetic Temperature: A measure of the energy of random motion
- (kinetic energy) of an assembly of particles in thermodynamic
- equilibrium.
-
- * Kinetic Theory: A theory which attempts to explain the behavior
- of physical systems using the assumptions that the systems are
- composed of large numbers of atoms/molecules/particles in
- vigorous motion, that energy and momentum are conserved in
- collisions of these particles, and that statistical methods can
- be applied to deduce the behavior of such systems.
-
- * Kink Instability: Instability resulting from excessive growth
- of a kink mode; see kink mode.
-
- * Kink Mode: Class of MHD instabilities which sometimes develop
- in a thin plasma column carrying a strong axial current. If a
- kink begins to develop in such a column the magnetic forces on
- the inside of the kink become larger than those on the outside,
- so that in general it tends to grow in magnitude. The column
- then becomes unstable and can be displaced into the walls of
- the discharge chamber, causing a disruption.
-
- & Klystron: An evacuated electron-beam tube in which electrons
- are given initial velocities such that the beam's charge density
- is modulated; the passage of a modulated current generates
- microwave radiation, some of which is then fed back to modulate the
- electrons' velocities. The result is a microwave amplifier.
-
- * Kruskal Limit: In tokamaks, a theoretical limiting value for
- plasma current beyond which MHD instabilities are predicted.
-
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