orbital electron stripped (or an extra electron attached) and, thus, an electric charge. It is the most abundant form of ordinary matter in the universe, mostly associated with stars, including the Sun. However, it extends to the rarefied intracluster medium and possibly to intergalactic regions.
Dr. Mubasshir Shaikh, a research scientist at the SAASST Space Weather and Ionospheric Laboratory, gave a lecture on "Plasma Physics: Frozen in Magnetic Field" on Nov. 24, 2021. The online lecture was attended by more than 70 students and SAASSt research assistants. Physicists refer to plasma as one of the four fundamental states of matter after gas, liquid, and solid. It consists of a gas of ions – atoms or molecules which have at least one orbital electron stripped (or an extra electron attached) and, thus, an electric charge. It is the most abundant form of ordinary matter in the universe, mostly associated with stars, including the Sun. However, it extends to the rarefied intracluster medium and possibly to intergalactic regions.
Hannes Alfvén introduced the notion of being frozen in a magnetic field for the first time in 1942. In magnetohydrodynamics, Alfvén's theorem states that in a fluid with infinite electric conductivity, the magnetic field is frozen into the fluid and has to move along with it. Every motion (perpendicular to the field) of the liquid concerning the lines of force is forbidden because it would give infinite eddy currents. Thus the matter of the liquid is fastened to the lines of force. As a result, the magnetic flux through a co-moving surface is conserved in a perfectly conducting fluid as an even stronger result.
In terms of space weather application and the main role of the Sun in solar storms, Dr. Mubasshir explained the formation of sunspots and how solar flares can trigger Earth auroras. Our Sun is essentially a big ball of hot plasma. As the Sun differentially rotates, the plasma movement in the core of the Sun produces a magnetic field that fills the solar atmosphere, the corona. The highly charged particles that escape the Sun, i.e., the solar wind, flow outward at great speed, pulling the magnetic field along with it as it gets twisted into a spiral (called a Parker spiral) by the Sun's rotation. This Sun's magnetic field is felt by Earth and also by every object in the solar system.
The lecture can be followed through the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8k9PPlGGfc
The lecture can be followed through the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8k9PPlGGfc