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The Heliospheric current sheet (HCS) is the surface within the Solar System where the polarity of the Sun’s magnetic field changes from north to south. This field extends from the Sun’s equatorial plane throughout the entire Solar System and is the largest structure in the heliosphere.[1] The shape of the current sheet results from the … Read more

Klein-Alfvén Cosmology (sometimes Alfvén-Klein cosmology,[1] and also “symmetric cosmology”[2]) is based on work by Oskar Klein, on a universe containing equal amounts of matter and antimatter, that was further developed with Hannes Alfvén. The Professor of history of science and technology at the University of Aarhus, Helge Kragh,[3] writes: “Developing ideas due to his senior … Read more

Laboratory astrophysics is a branch of physics which attempts to “simulate celestial bodies in a terrestrial laboratory”. Kang et al note that: “Despite huge differences in time and space scales and other parameters between astronomical phenomena and laboratory environments, the idea of laboratory simulation is based on the fact that both systems are described generally … Read more

Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) (magnetofluiddynamics or hydromagnetics) is the academic discipline which studies the dynamics of electrically conducting fluids. Examples of such fluids include plasmas, liquid metals, and salt water. The word magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) is derived from magneto- meaning magnetic field, and hydro- meaning liquid, and –dynamics meaning movement. The field of MHD was initiated by Hannes … Read more

Marklund convection (after Göran Marklund) is a natural plasma convection process that takes place in filamentary currents, that may cause chemical separation. It may occur within a plasma with an associated electric field, that causes convection of ions and electrons inward towards a central twisting filamentary axis. A temperature gradient within the plasma will also … Read more

A nebula (Latin: “mist”; pl. nebulae or nebulæ, with ligature; from Greek nephele, “cloud”) is an interstellar cloud of dust, gas and plasma. Originally nebula was a general name for any extended astronomical object, including galaxies beyond the Milky Way (some examples of the older usage survive; for example, the Andromeda Galaxy is sometimes referred … Read more

A Neutron star is a type of pulsar. These are stars that have extremely short periods of variability in their production of EM radiation (both light and radio frequency emissions) . When they were first discovered it was thought that they rotated rapidly – like lighthouses. But when the observed rate of “rotation” got up … Read more

A particle beam (sometimes plasma beam, or charged particle beam) is an accelerated stream of charged particles such as electrons and protons, often accelerated towards the speed of light. In the laboratory, such beams are created by particle accelerators such as cathode ray tubes, cyclotrons, and the dense plasma focus. In nature, particle beams are … Read more