Plasmas and the Sun

Plasma, often referred to as the fourth state of matter, makes up most of the material in the known universe. In this paper we explore the basic theories of plasma dynamics, with the end goal of learning more about the behavior of our Sun. We fi rst discuss plasma formation and identify some fundamental properties of plasmas. We then examine a single-particle model in which plasma particles are assumed to move independently in pre-existing electromagnetic fields, we discuss drift motions and adiabatic invariants, which characterize the dynamics of such particles. We discuss magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), a fluid model capable of predicting many of the complex collective behaviors typical of plasmas in space and laboratory settings. We prove a result in MHD known as the frozen field theorem, which is a surprising statement about how plasmas interact with magnetic fi elds. Finally, we apply our knowledge of plasma behavior to our Sun, explaining sunspots, prominences, and coronal mass ejections conceptually in terms of plasma phenomena