Lisa Renee – Plasmas are the most common form of matter, encompassing more than 99% of the space in the visible universe. Plasma permeates the entire solar system, as well as the interstellar and intergalactic environments. Yet very few people are aware of Plasma or what it is. When we are observing the Milky Way, the constellations or a bright star in the night sky, we are seeing luminous spheres of plasma that are held together by their own internal magnetic field. The nearest visible luminous sphere of plasma to the earth, is the Sun.

Plasmas are electromagnetic systems made from groupings of particles, which exhibit an overall zero net charge in its collective result.  Plasma can also be described as an ionized gas existing within an electrically neutral medium, or in groups of unbound positive and negative particles. Plasmas are extremely conductive, and they carry electrical currents and generate magnetic fields. Plasma, the fourth state of matter, is a type of gaseous substance that consists of ions and free electrons. However, gases and plasmas are distinct states of matter. Plasmas display vastly different properties and complexities, which far exceed those found in gases or other states of matter.  A distinguishing quality of Plasma is that it has collective behavior, which changes its impact in a field, based upon the whole. Plasma is difficult to study because it is extremely hot and does not have a definite shape or a definite volume unless it is enclosed in a container.

A Plasma can be created by heating gas or subjecting matter to a strong force or electromagnetic signal. Heating Plasma decreases or increases the number of electrons, which create positive or negatively charged particles called ions. When the Plasma is cooled, the positive ions and electrons combine to form atoms, which produces an ordinary gas. Plasmas are extremely hot and as they cool, they will lose their charge and transform their state.

Continue reading →