The magnetohydrodynamics of solar activity

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Abstract
The Sun represents a cosmic laboratory in which one may observe the exotic behaviour of a magnetized plasma at high magnetic Reynolds number. The basic properties of this plasma will be described together with some recent theories for several features of solar activity. The crucial role of the magnetic field will be stressed. The upper atmosphere of the Sun (the corona) is very much hotter (106K) than the lower layers. It may possibly be heated by the absorption of magnetoacoustic waves at cusp resonances or by phase-mixed Alfven waves with Kelvin Helmoltz and tearing mode instabilities creating small-scale structure.

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