after the first quasars formed. Studying astrophysical plasmas is part of mainstream academic astrophysics. Though plasma processes are part of the standard cosmological model, current theories indicate that they might have only a minor role to play in forming the very largest structures, such as voids, galaxy clusters and superclusters. Early history Norwegian explorer and physicist Kristian Birkeland predicted that space is filled with plasma. He wrote in 1913: Birkeland assumed that most of the mass in the universe should be found in "empty" space. In 1937, plasma physicist Hannes Alfvén argued that if plasma pervaded the universe, then it could generate a galactic magnetic field. During the 1940s and 1950s, Alfvén developed magnetohydrodynamics which enables plasmas to be modeled as waves in a fluid. Alfvén received the 1970 Nobel Prize in Physics for this development. Alfvén later proposed this as the possible basis of plasma cosmology, although this theory has faced scrutiny. See also List of plasma physics articles References External links "US / Russia Collaboration in Plasma Astrophysics" Plasma physics Solar phenomena Space physics Stellar phenomena