INTRODUCTION


When a temperature of solid for example imagine ice is increased till it transform from solid to liquid state (water) that is phase transition from ice to water. Again increasing the temperature will lead to phase transition form liquid to gas (steam). Further increase in temperature, at one stage the bond within the hydrogen and oxygen breaks and electrons in valance shell no longer bonded to the O2 and H2 rather it becomes free like that of free electrons in metals. Or in other words at the temperature near or exceeding atomic ionization energies, atoms decompose into negatively charged and positively charged ions. These charged particles are by no means free: in fact, they are strongly affected by each others' electromagnetic fields. Since the charges are no longer bound, their assemblage becomes capable of collective motion of great vigor and complexity. This assemblage is known as a Plasma.

plas-lamp
Fig.1. Shows a plasma lamp, illustrating some of the more complex phenomena of a plasma, including filamentation. The colors are a result of relaxation of electrons in excited states to lower energy states after they have recombined with ions. These processes emit light in a spectrum characteristic of the gas being excited.

Plasmas are conductive assemblies of charged particles, neutrals and fields that exhibit collective effects. Further, plasmas carry electrical currents and generate magnetic fields. Plasmas are the most common form of matter, comprising more than 99% of the visible universe, and permeate the solar system, interstellar and intergalactic environments. In this presentation my major interest will be focused on the properties, its dynamics and applications.