About This Special Issue
Plasma astrophysics studies electromagnetic processes and phenomena in space, mainly the role of forces of an electromagnetic nature in the dynamics of cosmic matter. Two factors are specific to the latter: its gaseous state and high conductivity. Such a combination is unlikely to be found under natural conditions on Earth; the matter is either a non-conducting gas (the case of gas dynamics or hydrodynamics) or a liquid or a solid conductor. By contrast, plasma is the main state of cosmic matter. It is precisely the poor knowledge of cosmic phenomena and cosmic plasma properties that explains the retarded development of plasma astrophysics. It has been distinguished as an independent branch of physics in the pioneering works of Alfv´en (see Alfv´en, 1950). Soon after that, the problem of thermonuclear reactions initiated a great advance in plasma research (Simon, 1959; Glasstone and Loveberg, 1960; Leontovich, 1960). This branch has been developing rather independently, although being partly ‘fed’ by astrophysical ideas. They contributed to the growth of plasma physics, for example, the idea of stelarators. Presently, the reverse influence of laboratory plasma physics on astrophysics is also important. Plasmas are the main constituents of the Universe. Therefore, the interpretation of the large amount of information provided by modern observations, both from the ground and from space, requires a working knowledge of plasma physics. The acquisition of such a working knowledge, however, is a slow process since the subject is far from our everyday experience and has the disturbing tendency of becoming complex, even in apparently simple situations.
Aims and Scope:
- Plasma Astrophysics
- Astroparticle Physics
- Stellar Physics
- Triple Star System
- Dark Energy
- Black Hole