Astrophysical Plasma - in Physical Cosmology

In Physical Cosmology

In the big bang cosmology the entire universe was a plasma prior to recombination. Afterwards, much of the universe reionized after the first quasars formed and emitted radiation which reionized most of the universe, which largely remains in plasma form. It is assumed by many scientists that very little baryonic matter is neutral. In particular, the intergalactic medium, the interstellar medium, the interplanetary medium and solar winds are all mainly diffuse plasmas, and stars are made of dense plasma. The study of astrophysical plasmas is part of the mainstream of academic astrophysics and is taken in account for in the standard cosmological model; however, current models indicate that plasma processes have little role to play in forming the very largest structures, such as voids, galaxy clusters and superclusters.