Astrophysics & Particle Physics-APPC 2026

Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) is the investigation of the dynamics of electrically conducting fluids, like plasmas, under the influence of magnetic and electric fields. In astrophysics, MHD is a basic theory for the explanation of the action of stars, accretion disks, interstellar medium, and cosmic plasma flows. Through the merging of fluid dynamics and electromagnetism principles, MHD accounts for the effect magnetic fields have on fluid flow and for the generation and alteration of magnetic fields by moving plasma. One of the most prominent usages of MHD in astrophysics is its use in studying stellar winds and the solar corona. Magnetic fields determine charged particle flow, accelerate coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and make contributions to the space weather phenomena that can impact planetary systems. MHD also controls the accretion disk dynamics near black holes and neutron stars, affecting angular momentum transport, disk viscosity, and jet production.In galactic and intergalactic space, MHD accounts for the evolution of magnetized plasma in star-forming environments, galactic magnetic fields, and cosmic jets.

Plasma instabilities, magnetic reconnection, and turbulence are all MHD phenomena that play key roles in astrophysical energy transfer, particle acceleration, and magnetic field amplification on all astrophysical scales.MHD is well explored numerically via simulations, since analytical solutions are impossible for the nonlinear, complex equations characterizing magnetized fluids. The simulations facilitate the modeling of supernova remnants, magnetized accretion flows, pulsar wind nebulae, and cosmic structure formation on large scales. Telescope observational data over the electromagnetic spectrum, coupled with MHD modeling, allow astrophysicists to interrogate the magnetic universe with ever greater accuracy.Summarizing, magnetohydrodynamics in astrophysics is a unifying theory for the interplay of magnetic fields and plasma dynamics across a broad array of cosmic environments. From stellar interiors and solar activity to jets, accretion disks, and interstellar medium, MHD is crucial to understanding the physical processes governing the universe.