Plasma - The 4th state of matter

 What is plasma?  The 4th state of matter

• We know the basic 3 states of matter; solid, liquid and gas.
• Lets consider solid, if we give more energy to solid (example by heating) it became liquid. If we give more energy to liquid it become gas, example water.
• But what will happen if we heat the gas?
• In gaseous state molecules and element are not in ionized form.
• When we heat the gas, above certain temperature the electrons get removed from the atom, we will get ionized gaseous state which is plasma.
• Plasma is  a gas of ions – atoms or molecules which have one or more orbital electrons stripped (or, rarely, an extra electron attached), and free electrons.
• Plasma makes 99% of visible universe.
• In 1879 Sir William Crookes first discovered plasma in laboratory.
• Irving Langmuir coined the term plasma, because it looked like blood plasma.
• Plasma is very energetic and emit light.
• Plasma can be created artificially by knocking of electrons from atoms which can be done by heating a neutral gas and by subjected it to electromagnetic field.
• Gas is not a good conductor of electricity, but plasma is a good conductor of electricity, example lightening.
• Cold plasma is also formed which we can touch.
• Plasma is ionized gas, so it will have more free electron, so it have electric field with it. And magnetic field always accompany electric field.
• Plasma is very responsive to mangetic field.
• We can store or confine plasma in a spot by using magnetic field.

Where plasma is found?

• Lightening (wireless current) is made up of plasma.
• Stars are made up of plasma.
• Most of the matter in universe like nebula is plasma.

Applications:

• Plasma is highly used in our day to day life.
• Plasma is used in fluorescent light (Tubelight)
• Plasma is used in manufacturing semiconductor chips
• Plasma can be used to produce energy by fusion in future.

Plasma is all around us every where.