Partially ionized plasma of the solar atmosphere: recent advances and future pathways

Abstract

[eng] In many ways, understanding the energy flow and dynamic motions in the solar atmosphere is the key to revealing many of the mysteries about the Sun, including how the atmosphere of the Sun is heating and the formation of cool clouds in the solar atmosphere called prominences. Throughout the solar atmosphere magnetic fields are of fundamental importance for the energy transport and in driving a wide range of dynamics. However, in the lower layers of the atmosphere, the fluid in which they are embedded is predominantly neutral. This means that the majority of the fluid is not directly affected by the forces of the magnetic field. For this type of fluid, known as a partially ionized plasma, it is interactions between the neutral particles and the charged ions and electrons that allow the magnetic field to couple with the neutrals and drive coherent dynamics.