Wouldn't a plasma shield (as seen in many science fiction stories) burn everything around it?

Question

Plasma is, in basic terms, the prevalent phase of matter found in stars, right? And it's extremely hot?

Wouldn't it then burn, not only anything that happens to touch it, but also whatever was inside it as well? The temperature of the air within the shield would be very high, it seems.

And don't answer just to tell me that "it's fiction". I'm well aware of that. But science fiction usually has some kind of scientific basis as well.

Answer 1

The heat content of a plasma is dependent on density. Many plasmas are have very low densities. The "solar wind" would be a low density plasma that's not going to burn anything . . .

I've always been unclear on what a "plasma shield" would do. One can emit plasmas, and one can manipulate their shape at a distance magnetically. How it would "shield" anything is a mystery.

Answer 2

Plasma is a superheated, electrically conducting gas. As such, it could be contained by magnetic fields, allowing you to create a 'structure' of plasma (like the loops of plasma on the surface of the sun, following the magnetic field lines). But yes, I wouldn't touch it.

It's been attempted on Earth using the 'magnetic bottle' idea to sustain a fusion reaction, but it was too unstable to produce more energy than it needed to sustain itself. So not useful.

Answer 3

I'll keep it simple and avoid a lot of technical jargon:

Yes