"Plasma is one of four fundamental states of matter, characterized by the presence of a significant portion of charged particles in any combination of ions or electrons."
Devices used to generate plasmas, such as plasma torches and plasma guns.
Basics of Plasma Physics: This includes understanding the definition of plasma, its properties, and its behavior in different environments.
Plasma Generation: This includes different techniques and methods for generating plasma, such as DC and RF discharges, plasma torches, and plasma jets.
Plasma Parameters: This includes understanding the different parameters that describe plasma, such as density, temperature, and energy.
Plasma Diagnostics: This includes different techniques and methods for measuring plasma parameters, such as optical emission spectroscopy, Langmuir probes, and laser scattering.
Plasma Applications: This includes an overview of the practical applications of plasma, such as plasma processing, plasma etching, plasma deposition, and plasma medicine.
Plasma-Material Interactions: This includes understanding the interaction between plasma and different materials, such as metals, polymers, and ceramics, and their effects on material properties.
Plasma Sources for Industrial Applications: This includes an overview of the different types of plasma sources used for industrial applications, such as plasma jets, plasma torches, and inductively coupled plasma sources.
Plasma Sources for Space Applications: This includes an overview of the different types of plasma sources used for space applications, such as Hall thrusters, ion thrusters, and magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters.
Plasma Sources for Fusion Energy: This includes an overview of the different types of plasma sources used for fusion energy research, such as tokamaks, stellarators, and laser-driven fusion.
Plasma Modeling: This includes an overview of the different models used to describe plasma behavior, such as fluid models, kinetic models, and hybrid models.
DC discharge plasma source: In this type of source, a DC voltage is applied between two electrodes placed in a chamber filled with gas. This initiates a current flow in the gas, generating a plasma.
Radio Frequency (RF) plasma source: In this type of source, a high-frequency voltage is applied to an electrode in a chamber filled with gas. This generates an electromagnetic field that ionizes the gas, creating a plasma.
Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source: ICP sources work using a radio-frequency field from an external antenna. The field acts as a transformer, inducing a magnetic field into a plasma gas within a vacuum chamber.
Microwave plasma source: In this type of source, electromagnetic radiation is coupled to a plasma using a waveguide that directs energy in the form of microwaves to the plasma.
Corona discharge plasma source: In this type of source, a high voltage electrode is placed near a grounded electrode, creating a corona of charged particles that ionize the gas.
Capacitive discharge plasma source: This type of source uses a high voltage pulse to ionize the gas in a chamber with electrodes that form a capacitor.
Pulsed plasma source: These plasma sources use pulsed power to generate a plasma with high peak currents and short pulses.
Neutral beam injection plasma source: In this type of source, neutral particles are injected into the plasma, which become ionized and contribute energy to the plasma.
Hall thruster plasma source: This type of plasma source is used in space propulsion that converts electrical power to thrust.
Glow discharge plasma source: This uses low-pressure gas discharge electrodes, and a voltage is applied resulting in a glow discharge plasma that is useful in various processing applications.
"It is the most abundant form of ordinary matter in the universe, mostly in stars (including the Sun), but also dominating the rarefied intracluster medium and intergalactic medium."
"Plasma can be artificially generated by heating a neutral gas or subjecting it to a strong electromagnetic field."
"The presence of charged particles makes plasma electrically conductive."
"The dynamics of individual particles and macroscopic plasma motion are governed by collective electromagnetic fields and very sensitive to externally applied fields."
"The response of plasma to electromagnetic fields is used in many modern devices and technologies, such as plasma televisions or plasma etching."
"Depending on temperature and density, a certain number of neutral particles may also be present, in which case plasma is called partially ionized."
"Neon signs and lightning are examples of partially ionized plasmas."
"Unlike the phase transitions between the other three states of matter, the transition to plasma is not well defined and is a matter of interpretation and context."
"Whether a given degree of ionization suffices to call a substance 'plasma' depends on the specific phenomenon being considered."