Characteristics of electrically conducting media are reviewed from the macroscopic viewpoint based on mean-field magnetohydrodynamics, while being compared using the methodology and knowledge in fluid mechanics. The themes covered in this review range from the mechanism of generating stellar magnetic fields (dynamo) to transport properties in fusion. The primary concern here is to see the characteristics common to these apparently different phenomena, within the framework of the mean-field theory. Owing to the intrinsic limitation of the approach, the present discussions are limited more or less to specific aspects of phenomena. They are supplemented with reference to theoretical, numerical, and observational approaches intrinsic to each theme. In the description of dynamo phenomena, emphasis is laid on the cross helicity dynamo. Features common to stellar magnetic-field generation and the rotational-motion drive in toroidal plasmas are illustrated on this basis.
Nonlinear Magnetohydrodynamics