What is Plasma?

Plasma is one of the four states of matter with the others being solid, liquid, and gas but plasma has properties that differ of the other three states of matter. They are by far the most common form of matter and are also estimated to constitute more than 99 percent of the visible universe.

Plasma consists of free-moving electrons and ions; in other words, atoms that have lost electrons after being ionized. Therefore, energy is needed to separate the electrons from the atoms to make plasma. The types of energy used are thermal, electrical, or light (ultraviolet light or intense visible light from lasers). Once there are enough atoms that have been ionized to affect the electrical characteristics of the gas, it becomes plasma. But with lack of sustaining power, plasma recombines to a neutral gas.

There are several properties of plasma. First of all, it conducts electricity due to having a significant amount of free-moving particles so that it responds strongly to electromagnetic fields. Secondly, it does not have a definite shape or volume unless it’s in a container which is similar to gas. Thirdly, the temperature of plasma is usually measured in Kelvins or electronvolts (the amount of energy gained or lost by the charge of a single electron moved across a potential difference of one volt) and very high temperatures are usually needed in order to sustain ionization.

Information links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_(physics)#Definition

http://www.plasmacoalition.org/what.htm

http://www.plasmas.org/what-are-plasmas.htm

http://plasmauniverse.info/ubiquitous.html

Kasen