>>14367773Whew, I'll try to answer some of these.
>Is OP's textbook a good source for learning elementary plasma physics, what other textbooks do you recommend in plasma physics?Chen (Introduction to Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion) is a bit old, but still widely regarded as the standard for introductory plasma physics.
Piel (Plasma Physics) has gained some popularity in recent years as an introductory level text.
L&L (Principles of Plasma Discharges and Materials Processing) is denser and at a much more advanced level, but is an exceptional reference text if you want to do practical or experimental plasma physics
Gurnett (Introduction to Plasma Physics: With Space, Laboratory and Astrophysical Applications) is a nice intro to space plasmas
Shukla (Introduction to Dusty Plasmas Physics) is the best (and few) texts on that subject
>Do you work for the Department of defense regarding plasma physics?No
>How many industry jobs does plasma physics hold? Will there always be work for a physicist that specializes in plasma physics? What type of jobs could you get if you specialize in plasma physics?Decent amount, I don't know numbers off the top of my head (I'm in teaching/research not industry), but there's a lot of practical industry jobs related to plasma physics. I can't see there *not* being a need for the subject going forward: Semiconductors and other fabricated devices aren't going away, cold plasmas are becoming common in medicine and even agriculture now, etc.
>How difficult is it compared to other fields of physics that you have experience in? How complicated does the field get when working?All physics is hard once you get to the graduate level, it's really just a question of which topics are you interested in and what areas do you have an aptitude for (if you don't like E&M, thermo/stat, and fluid dynamics, don't go into plasmas).
