Plasma Science for Aerospace and Thermonuclear Fusion Applications

Theoretical applications of plasma science to space and thermonuclear fusion technologies is illustrated. In particular, the role of molecular non equilibrium plasmas in problems arising in re-entry conditions of space vehicles impacting on the atmosphere of a planet, in space explorations, and low temperature processes occurring in nuclear fusion tokamaks, is discussed. Particular emphasis is placed on the link between elementary processes occurring in the plasma at the microscopic level and the macroscopic behavior. In particular, recent results on cross section calculations for resonant electron-molecule collisions, involving N2, O2 and H2 molecules, are presented along with an application to the temporal evolution of a nitrogen plasma toward the thermal equilibrium.